


Valley of Diamonds

by Aurora_Mandeville



Series: Adventure Alliance [1]
Category: Adventure Boys, Blythe Girls, Stratemeyer Syndicate
Genre: Adventure Boys - Freeform, Africa, Blythe Girls - Freeform, F/M, Stratemeyer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 50,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23380504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurora_Mandeville/pseuds/Aurora_Mandeville
Relationships: Helen/Bret, Jimmy/Margy, Rose/Ralph
Series: Adventure Alliance [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681618
Kudos: 2





	1. Finding Help

Helen Blythe glanced over the wares in the marketplace. She and her sisters, Margy and Rose, were there looking for things to liven up their new apartment as well as shop for groceries. It had been a few weeks since they moved to New York City after the death of their father. Their only living relative, their father’s older sister, was too far away for them to travel with the little money they had and their aunt didn’t have quite enough either, having to take care of her ranch, so they thought it best to rent an apartment and work for a time. Helen and Margy were both old enough that they didn’t have to go live with their aunt and Margy wanted to try her hand in some business, so, with Rose in tow, they figured they could make it work. Margy had found a job as a secretary for a wealthy woman named Dorcas Pepper and Rose insisted on finding a job as well so Helen could stay at home and paint commissions. Not to mention Rose couldn’t cook to save her life. Margy and Helen were always joking that Rose would have to marry a chef in order for her family to survive. They were teasing her about that yet again when Margy stopped Rose from picking up nothing but junk food.   
“Oh, but it’s easy to fix!” said Rose. “You never know if I want to give Helen a day off from the kitchen and would like to not have to burn anything.” She reached into Helen’s bag and plopped a strawberry into her mouth. “Besides, not all of it is junk food.”   
Margy scoffed. “Well I’m sorry, you’re right, not all of it is junk food, but you do pick the easiest things to fix.”   
Rose flipped her light strawberry curls over her shoulder defiantly. “But of course, I know what I can fix and what I can’t!”   
Helen laughed. “Then all we have to do is find you a guy who can fix what you can’t!”   
“Which is pretty much everything,” added Margy with a snort. The two laughed. Rose shook her head good-naturally.   
“Tease me all you want, just you wait, I’ll marry someone rich and neither one of us will have to cook!” she said with a merry twinkle in her grey-green eyes.   
Margy scoffed. “You’d have to get that position at that fancy store if you’re ever going to meet a guy like that.”   
Rose pouted. “And to do that, you need experience! To start at the bottom, you have to have experience! And pray tell me how are you supposed to get that?” She glanced at Margy. “You got lucky with Miss Pepper, she at least will help you get that experience.”  
Margy nodded as a slight shiver went through her body, despite the August sun bearing down on them. The girls nearly ran out of money before she applied with Miss Pepper and got the job. Miss Pepper was even kind enough to give her an advance to keep the girls afloat until Margy got her first full paycheck. It had been a close call, to be sure, and a lucky break. Rose still wanted to find a job, but could continue her search at a slower pace now that Margy had a large enough of a paycheck to get them by. If she hadn’t applied for the job with Miss Pepper . . . A cry from Rose shook Margy from her melancholy thoughts. She was pointing at the docks, her face alight. Helen had turned and shielded her eyes to look at the setting sun.   
“Can we get some fish?”   
“Well, maybe, but we do have to make this quick, it’s going to be dark soon and I want Margy to get to bed on time.”   
“Well then, Margy shall choose, she’ll make a quick decision.” Rose looked pointedly at Margy. “Right?”  
Margy grinned. “Definitely quicker than you, kid.” But she still took a while, there were so many different fish to choose from! The street lamps were flickering to life one by one by the time Margy finally selected some tuna and tilapia, even though the sun hadn’t completely set.   
“You said you were going to be quick. Did that handsome fisherman distract you?’ teased Rose.   
“Oh cut it out, kid, that guy was obviously almost forty!” The three laughed as they began to make their way back home. They had just left the marketplace when they heard cries for help from one of the alleyways. The three paused, terrified. It was obviously two male voices calling out for help surrounded by the sounds of a struggle. Rose stepped forward to help, but Margy held her back.   
“What are you doing? Are you nuts?”   
“But someone has to help!”   
“Then we find help,” said Helen with finality. “Come on, if we split up, we might be able to find an officer, or at least enough help.” Rose and Margy nodded and the girls separated. Rose dashed towards the street, hoping she could find a policeman in the dimming light.   
“Help! Help! Somebody help! I need help!” She turned and saw a big policeman rushing towards her.   
“What seems to be the problem, miss?” he asked in a slight Irish accent.   
“Two men . . . in a fight . . . back alley . . . hurry!” She pulled on his sleeve, but he followed her without further prompt. She rushed back to what she thought was the scene of the fight, only to find that it was all over and her sisters had found help as well.   
“Well by golly, she did find an officer! Way to go!” Rose blushed at the young man’s praise. In the waning light Rose could make out a dark head of hair, but what really drew her in were those grey eyes of his. He was standing in the light in such a way that his eyes seemed to reflect the light, making him look suave and mysterious all the while Rose could tell there was a fiery life in him. Then he smiled, and Rose had this sudden desire to wrap her arms around him and never let go. She noticed the man standing next to him looked like an older version of him. His father, perhaps?   
“And it’s Officer Marks! Fantastic! Was just going to whistle for you!” said one of the other two younger men. He had light brown hair and merry, twinkling brown eyes that seemed to be laughing constantly at the world, but there was an air of seriousness about him, suggesting to Rose that he was already working his way up in the business world. The other fellow had sandy blond hair and bright blue eyes that seemed to soak in the scene around him, like this was his first ever adventure and he was enjoying it.   
“Well it looks like you’re becoming a regular ole deputy, Bret Hartson, having these men all captured really pretty for me!”   
Bret smiled sheepishly. “Uh, thanks Officer, but we didn’t nab all of them. There was a third one and he got away.” He turned a serious eye on Margy. “But that young lady there seemed to recognise him.” Rose turned wide eyes upon her sister.   
Margy nodded and sighed. “I did recognise him. He-he’s Rex Pepper, the nephew of my employer, Miss Dorcas Pepper.” Helen’s hands flew to her mouth while Rose gasped. Marks gave a low whistle.   
“Why don’t you call up Mr. Pepper, real quick, see, and he’ll tell you these blasted fellows jumped us and . . .”   
“What kind of a fool do you take me to be, Lefty?” barked Marks. “We’ve been on the lookout for you three for the past six weeks! We just didn’t know Rex Pepper was the third man in your group. But now that we’ve got you and Bo, all we have to worry about is Rex, and that shouldn’t be too hard considering he enjoys pestering his aunt.”   
Margy nodded vigorously. “Oh yes, he most certainly does! And pesters me too!”   
Marks tipped his hat to her. “I’ll be glad to get him to stop pestering you both.” He glanced at the two criminals. “Once these two are taken care of.” He glanced at the gentlemen. “If you four would be so kind as to help me escort these two to the station? I’m afraid I can’t do it myself.” The blue-eyed lad and Bret answered quickly in the affirmative. The grey-eyed teen glanced at the older man, seeking his decision.   
“Well,” he began slowly, “we could help, but we were on our way to meet someone, a friend of a friend, and it is rather important . . .”   
“Oh come on Dad, we did tell him we would be late.”   
“I certainly wouldn’t want to keep him waiting all night.”   
Marks shook his head. “I think you’ll be fine, the station is only a couple of blocks away. You could escort these two and be back here in about ten minutes, twenty tops.”   
The gentleman glanced over the group. His eyes seemed to linger upon Margy for a brief moment before turning back to the officer. “Alright then, we shall help.”   
Marks smiled with relief. “Thank you so much!” After he slapped some handcuffs on Lefty, the little group marched towards the station. The girls were thinking of simply staying with the fellows until the station before heading home, but the older gentleman requested, practically pleaded, that they wait for them to come back out. The girls finally agreed to do so and waited just inside the station foyer.  
“What do you think he wants?” asked Rose.   
Margy bit her lip. “I’ll bet it's because of Rex, he must want Miss Pepper’s address to call on her and talk to her about it. He might even call on us . . .”  
“Oh I would have no problem with that,” said Rose somewhat wistfully as she glanced at the door they had gone through. She was hoping to get another chance to see such a lovely pair of eyes.  
“Rose?” said Helen, breaking into her thoughts. “You like his son already?”   
Rose blushed slightly. “Well why not? He is amazingly handsome, and they must be rich. Did you see that watch?”   
“Rose! My goodness, you just met the man!” berated Margy. “And how are you so sure he's not already taken? You said so yourself he’s amazingly handsome, other girls will see that too.”   
Rose pouted. “I hadn't thought of that.”   
“Well that's part of your problem, you don't think.”   
“Alright you two, enough,” said Helen firmly. “We're still in the station, we wouldn't want Officer Marks to have to arrest you two for disturbing the peace.”   
“Oh goodness, Helen,” began Margy, but she was interrupted by a loud whoop. The guys came back, all wearing big grins.   
“Now Dad and I won't take the money, no matter what you say.”   
“Oh but,” began Bret but the older gentleman raised his hand with a commanding smile.  
“There's a reason why we won't, we can't take it. How about you come to our hotel room tomorrow night at eight? I’ll explain everything then.” He glanced at the girls. “You as well. And as a matter of fact . . .” he pointed at Margy, “I need your employer’s address. I would like to invite her along as well.”   
Margy winced. “Well, I don’t know. She doesn’t particularly like giving her address out to people. Even so, I would still have to have her permission to give it out . . .”   
“You will see her in the morning?”   
Margy nodded. “Yes.”   
The gentleman quickly wrote in a notepad. “Then I ask that you give her the invitation instead, then.” He ripped the piece of paper out and handed it to Margy.   
She glanced at it, and her eyes bulged. “You’re, you’re staying at the Biltmore Hotel, Mr. Edwards?”   
Rose’s mouth dropped as she glanced over her sister’s shoulder. “No way!” She glanced at the gentleman and his son. “You really are wealthy!”   
The two chuckled. “Yes, and we shall explain everything if you come tomorrow,” said the son, his grey eyes twinkling merrily as he seemed to take Rose in. Well, that’s what she thought he was doing, looking at her like that.   
“Oh my, where are our manners? We haven’t been properly introduced!” Helen began the introductions, and the girls soon found that they were talking with Malcolm Edwards and his son Ralph, Bret Hartson, and Jimmy Stone.   
Malcolm glanced at his watch and gasped. “Ah, Ralph, it’s getting real late! I hope we haven’t kept our friend waiting for long!” He glanced at the five. “It was a pleasure meeting you all, and I hope to see you tomorrow!”   
“You can count on us!” chorused Bret and Jimmy.   
“We’ll come,” said Helen, “I’m curious as to what this is all about.”   
“So am I,” said Rose. She glanced at Ralph, and it would give her a chance to get to see him again.   
“Very good, then I shall see you all tomorrow. We would escort you ladies home . . .”   
“Don’t worry about it, Mr. Edwards, Jimmy and I can handle it. You get yourselves to that meeting.”   
Malcolm smiled at Bret. “Thank you Bret. Until tomorrow.”   
“Bye!” said Ralph with a wave before the two dashed out the door. Bret and Jimmy did escort the girls all the way back, the five chatting away almost like old friends. The girls learned that Bret and Jimmy were both orphans like them, though Jimmy had no living relatives and Bret had one mean aunt who didn’t seem to mind at all that Bret was out working for his own rent. They soon learned of the girls’ history as well and were rather excited to have made friends with people of a similar history. But though they parted rather reluctantly, they were excited at the prospect of seeing each other again the next evening and finding out what secrets the Edwards’s had to tell.


	2. The Beginning of a New Team

Margy was really nervous the next morning. Helen and Rose did all they could to calm her down, but she couldn't help but worry about what Miss Pepper would say upon hearing the news.   
“Would she even go meet Mr. Edwards?” she muttered as she ate breakfast. Her leg began to bounce. “I mean, I know she would be surprised to hear about Rex, but would she? She clearly doesn't like him, and she has good reason to!”   
Helen patted her hand. “Oh Margy, it's no use worrying yourself sick over this! If Miss Pepper doesn't want to meet Mr. Edwards, that's her decision. Mr. Edwards invited her, he didn't demand that she come. She can say no.”   
“We said yes, so they're definitely expecting us,” pointed out Rose. “Besides, whatever are you worried for? It's not like you were the one helping those goons attack Mr. Edwards and Ralph.”   
Margy let out a soft breath as her leg slowed down to a stop. “You have a point there, kid. And it's not like I gave them her address or did anything that could give her reason to fire me.”   
“Precisely,” said Rose.   
Margy glanced between them. “But then what will we do for dresses? We don't have enough to get any, and we only have our church clothes that don't seem, well, fancy enough for a rich place like the Biltmore.”   
“We’ll figure out something, just you wait and see,” said Rose, determination set in her tone and a twinkle in her eyes.   
Helen chuckled. “I guess that means our day is full.”   
Margy huffed. “Guess so. Well, I think I’ve done all the worrying I can. I’d better get going and leave you two to find some magic and transform us into Cinderellas for tonight.”   
“Oof, that's a tall order, but we'll give it a go,” said Helen.   
“Oh, we’ll surprise you alright!” said Rose with a sparkle in her eyes.   
“But don’t be surprised if we do manage to fail,” said Helen matter-of-factly.   
“Well if we think like that, we definitely will!” said Rose. She got up from the table and shooed Margy out the door. “Now get to work so we can get to work. Have a good day, and we’ll see you tonight!” She practically slammed the door in Margy’s face.   
“Well I’ll be!” exclaimed Margy, but then she burst out laughing. “But I am curious to see what they’ll come up with, they are the artistic ones.” She walked down the stairs and walked to work. When she got to the Pepper mansion, the butler, Oliver, let her in and told her that Miss Pepper left her a pile of papers to take care of in her absence.   
“When is Miss Pepper expected back?” asked Margy as she walked into the study.   
“Not until lunch time,” said Oliver.   
Margy pursed her lips before letting out a soft sigh. That would have to do. “Alright, thanks Oliver. I have an important message I must deliver to Miss Pepper. Please let her know when she comes in that I must see her right away.”   
The butler gave a little bow. “I will give her that message.”   
“Thank you.” She quickly made her way towards the desk and began work on the pile that Miss Pepper left behind for her to do, hoping the activity would keep her anxious mind from dwelling too much on how Miss Pepper would react to the invitation from Mr. Edwards. But she began to berate herself. Did she not loathe her nephew, always complaining about his criminal behavior? And Mr. Edwards didn’t seem like the type who would want monetary compensation for wrongs done to him. He probably just wanted more information about Rex, probably more than what Mrs. Pepper could give. But she had more information on Rex than what Margy had, that’s for sure, and Mr. Edwards could do with it what he wanted. She let out a huff. Her sisters were right, she probably was worrying about nothing. But then where was this bad feeling coming from, and why couldn’t she shake it?   
Meanwhile, Rose and Helen were staring at the three fanciest dresses they could find. They weren’t the latest style, but it was the most recent style they had. The first one was a pale blue, the second was golden yellow, and the third was a soft pink.   
Rose let out a huff. “Well . . . this is a little harder than I thought.”   
Helen chuckled. “Bit off a little more than you could chew?”   
Rose shook her head defiantly. “Oh no, I plan on figuring this out. Besides, I had to make sure Margy’s spirits were up. She shouldn’t be going to work with so many worries on her mind.”   
“Good point,” said Helen. She patted her sister’s shoulder. “Good thinking on your part.” She huffed and looked at the dresses. “It’s just, how can we fix these up to make them look a little nicer, nice enough for the Biltmore?”   
Rose tapped her chin with her finger, thinking hard. “See, that’s the thing, I have no idea . . .” She gasped and grabbed Helen’s arm. “Oh, but I know what can help! Maybe we should go window shopping, you know, to get a few ideas?”   
Helen smiled. “That’s a great idea! I’ll see if we have enough money to buy anything, maybe a little something to spruce up these dresses.”   
Rose cheered. “Yes!”   
“But no guarantees, we still need to have enough for the rest of the week, until Margy gets her next paycheck.”   
Rose nodded. “I know, we just need one little thing for each dress, just a little something to make them look just a little fancier.” She bit her lip. “Though I do wish we could have gotten fancier dresses for this.”   
“Well, we’ve got to make do with what we’ve got. Come on, let’s go see what the windows have for us.”   
Rose grinned. “Yes!” The two got their purses and, after Helen counted out the money to make sure they could purchase a couple of little things, they left the house.   
Margy raced up the stairs, her eyes wide with anxiety and excitement. She inserted her key in the door, unlocked it, and slammed it open.   
“Goodness, don’t break the door!” shouted Helen from the bedroom. Margy raced into the room.   
“Get changed quickly!” She paused, there on the bed were two of the fanciest dresses they had, but there was something different about them. Helen had on the blue dress and Rose had just finished sewing on some lace. There was a strand of white pearl-like beads with the yellow dress and a silvery bow had been attached to the pink. “Did you, did you get something for the dresses?”   
Rose beamed. “Just a few things. Helen found the lace for the blue dress. We were just finishing up. And what’s the rush? We don’t have to be there just yet.”  
“B-because Miss Pepper’s giving us a ride in her car, and she’s given us only five minutes to get back out there!”   
Her sisters stared at her, open-mouthed. “Wh-what?” said Helen.   
“We get to ride in her car?” said Rose with a squeal.   
Margy glanced between the blue gown and the bed before snatching up the yellow dress. “Yes, and now we only have four minutes!”   
“Oh, but Margy, if you wanted to wear the blue . . .”  
“It’s OK, Helen, I can wear yellow tonight. You already have the blue on, so just keep it on. We really don’t have much time!” She began to change quickly, as did Rose.   
“But why is Miss Pepper only giving us five minutes?” asked Helen as she helped first Margy and then Rose. “We don’t have to be at the Biltmore for another thirty minutes!”   
“She wants to get there early, and there’s going to be a bit more traffic at this time of day.”   
“Sounds like taking the trolley would have been faster,” mumbled Rose as she slipped on her shoes.   
Margy shook her head. “Oh, we would have been really late if we had! I’m so glad Miss Pepper offered to take us in her car. But we really must hurry!” The girls quickly finished preparing, grabbed their purses and the keys and dashed out the door. Helen and Rose were finally introduced to their wonderful benefactor, Miss Dorcas Pepper. They were surprised that she was only in her early forties, both thought she was older than that! But she was just over forty, and slightly peppery, as her surname indicated. They squirmed slightly when she glanced over their dresses with a distasteful eye, but said nothing of the fact that their dresses were not that fancy, even though they could tell she was thinking it. Her chauffeur dropped them off in front of the Biltmore with the promise to be back in about three hours. The Blythes glanced up at the fancy hotel, their hearts jittery with anxious excitement. Dorcas glanced at her watch.   
“Looks like we got here with a few minutes to spare, good. Let’s see what this Malcolm Edwards has to say.”   
Rose clasped her hands with fervent excitement. “Oh, I do hope he invites us with him on an adventure!”   
“Rose!” berated Margy, her blue green eyes flashing. “Don’t jump to conclusions! Mr. Edwards might have something else he wants to talk to us about.”   
“And it’s certainly not to ask you to marry Ralph,” said Helen with a merry twinkle in her violet eyes before taking the first step towards the fancy hotel. Dorcas tutted and followed her in. Margy took a step forward, before glancing at Rose. She was fiddling with her gloves, her face was beet red, which made Margy laugh.   
“Nellie’s right, though, Mr. Edwards is more likely to ask us to join them on an adventure than that. Let's find out what it is.” She paused and glanced down the street. “I do hope those guys don’t keep us waiting.”   
Rose giggled as she nudged her sister’s shoulder. “I highly doubt Jimmy would want to keep you waiting.” It was Margy’s turn to turn beet red, but by the time the two had joined their eldest sister and Dorcas in the foyer, it was mostly gone. But Rose’s giggles lingered on until they entered the hotel’s lobby, when the blush came back. Ralph was sitting on one of the sofas by the roaring fire. Jimmy and Bret were sitting in adjacent chairs, listening with rapture at whatever Ralph was telling them. Bret saw them first and rose from his chair, giving them each a nod, though his eyes lingered on Helen. The other two quickly rose as well when they saw the women.   
“Oh good, you’re here!” said Ralph. “We’re just waiting for one more member of our party, and then we can head on up.”   
Dorcas took a seat. “Oh, and who are we waiting for?”   
“I do believe that would be me, ma’am.” The girls jumped slightly as a sailor-looking fellow stepped into their midst. He looked to be no more than twenty-five, his sandy blonde hair combed nicely and his brown eyes glanced around the room with a hint of nervousness.   
“Ah, yes, you made it Mr. Green!” said Ralph enthusiastically as he grasped the man’s hand and shook it. Ralph introduced everyone to Stanley Green. “Well, now that that’s done, let’s head up. I do hate making Dad wait too long. But at least introductions are out of the way and we can get down to business.” His tone changed from its usual cheerfulness and became rather solemn, and a bit mysterious. He took a furtive glance around the lobby before offering his arm to Rose. She accepted it shyly. Jimmy offered his arm to Margy, and Bret to Helen. Stanley offered his arm hesitantly to Dorcas, but she refused, and he took up the rear as Ralph led the group towards the elevator. The girls oohed and aahed as they walked through the grand hallway, while Jimmy and Bret seemed to soak it all in almost like they thought they were in a dream. As soon as everyone was in, Ralph nodded at the elevator operator.   
“My floor, please, Mr. O’Toole.”   
Mr. O’Toole nodded. “Yes sir.” He closed the gates and took the group up to Ralph’s floor. Ralph led them quickly to a room near the far end of one of the halls. He rapped on the door.   
“We’re all here, governor.” The group eyed him in surprise but he paid no mind as the sound of clicking could be heard from the other side of the door. Malcolm Edwards opened the door and surveyed the group before ushering them in.   
“Was there anyone following you?” asked Malcolm as he and Ralph set about locking the door.   
“Just us, as far as I could tell,” said Ralph.   
Malcolm nodded. “Good.” He turned to the others. “Please, have a seat.” They sat down in the two sofas and one of the chairs that was situated in front of the fireplace. “Thank you. What I’m about to tell you must be kept secret from everyone. Are we clear?” They nodded and murmured ‘yes’. “Good.” He glanced at Ralph, then at the door. Ralph went to check on the door again and came back, nodding at his father. “Alright, basically, Ralph and I are treasure hunters.” Dorcas let out a gasp as she clutched her purse closer to her chest. “Miss Pepper, I said we are treasure hunters, not thieves. Please be reasonable.”   
“I am,” said Doracs, clutching her purse even tighter. Ralph rolled his eyes and glanced at his father.   
Malcolm sighed. “I see. I asked you all here today to give you a business proposition.” Rose leaned forward, grinning widely. Jimmy and Bret were also excited, while Helen and Margy shared a look of concern. “I’m asking all of you to join me and Ralph in becoming a great team of treasure hunters.”   
Dorcas gasped. “Heavens, no!”   
“Yes!” said Rose, Jimmy, and Bret in unison.   
“Rose!” berated Margy. “We need to think about this! This is very serious!”   
“Your sister’s right,” said Ralph, “you have to make your decision seriously and carefully. Treasure hunting is a very dangerous business.” He glanced down and mumbled, “People have lost their lives.” The girls looked between him and Malcolm, wide eyed.   
“Is that, is that how you lost your mom?” whispered Rose. Ralph glanced at her as a sad look came into his grey eyes and nodded slowly. Rose quickly stood up and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so sorry.”   
The corners of Ralph’s mouth curled ever so slightly. “Thanks.”   
Malcolm cleared his throat. “We will do our best to avoid death, but danger is inevitable. Even now, with you being here, is rather dangerous. There are men following me and Ralph throughout the city, who knows if they’ll keep an eye on you from now on as well, at least until they’ve come to realize that you’re not working with me.”   
Stanley rose slowly from his seat, his eyes riveted on Malcolm. “You’re looking for the valley, aren’t you?” Everyone looked at him, curious as to what he meant by that, but Ralph looked at his father. “That stupid fable, the Valley of Diamonds. That’s the reason why you wanted me here. You couldn’t find Jack, so I would have to do.”   
“Where’s the Valley of Diamonds?” asked Jimmy.   
“What’s the Valley of Diamonds?” asked Margy.   
“Why the Valley of Diamonds?” asked Dorcas. “Isn’t it just a fable, a fairy tale? Why not go to Australia, they’re abundant with opals, so I’ve heard.”   
Malcolm glanced at her. “Australia is another place we shall visit, though I am uncertain of when that will be. And even fairy tales have a grain of truth to them.”   
Dorcas scoffed. “Well, finding that grain is like finding a needle in the haystack.”   
“Well I think we’ve found that grain.” He turned to the mantle and took a piece of paper off it. “This here is a map to the valley . . . somewhere in Botswana, Africa.”   
Stanley gasped and took a few steps forward. “Where did you get that? There was only one man I knew who had that, and he’s dead!”   
“He gave this to us and told us that, should he die before the year’s end, to search for it. He did tell me that you and your friend Jack were the only two people he could trust and should have a share of it.”   
“That was during the time when Jack and I were in Africa a few months ago, huh?”   
Malcolm nodded. “Yes, and now Mr. Ferris is dead and Jack is missing.” He waved the map. “I can assure you it has to do with this.”   
“Then why did you need to bring these young folk into this?”   
Malcolm pointed at Jimmy and Bret. “I needed extra help.” The two grinned. He then turned to Dorcas. “And we’ve found out that your nephew, Rex, is involved with the gang of men following us. Tom Ferris had recognized him as one of the men who was following him around and warned me about him.” He glanced at Margy. “And this young lady confirmed it.” Margy glanced at Dorcas and nodded grimly. She had indeed recognized him.   
Dorcas heaved a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised?”   
“You have dealt with him before and know his ways. You would be a great help in giving me information about him, and, if you decide to join us, to keep an eye out for him and his goons. You will receive a share of the diamonds either way.”   
“Africa is no place for a proper lady,” said Dorcas rather haughtily.   
“But it does sound like an awful lot of fun,” said Rose with a wistful sigh.   
“Oh, it is, but if you can’t come, I’ll try to bottle some of it up and bring it back to you,” said Ralph, the merry twinkle returning to his eyes.   
Rose blushed ever so slightly. “I, I would like that.”   
Malcolm turned to the others. “So, what do you say? Are you in?”   
“Absolutely,” said Jimmy enthusiastically.   
“All the way,” said Bret.   
“I’m coming whether you like it or not,” said Stanley,” and since you like it, I guess we’re good.”   
Malcolm grinned broadly at that. “I guess so.” He turned to the women. “Miss Pepper, Miss Blythe?”   
Margy and Rose glanced at Helen. Rose seemed to plead with her eyes while Margy seemed unsure. Helen glanced between the two before looking at Malcolm. “Um, would I be able to bring some art supplies and, well, paint a picture or two?”   
Malcolm’s smile began to reach into his eyes. “I see no problem with that.”   
“Then I suppose a change of scenery will do us some good.”   
“Yes!” cried out Rose and nearly pushed Helen off the sofa with a hug. Margy didn’t seem as thrilled, but she was resolved to help however she could.   
“Oh hogwash,” said Dorcas as she rose from her seat. “I’d better go too, if just to keep an eye on you.” She glanced at the girls, and then a glaring eye at the boys. Ralph merely grinned at her.   
“Alright then, it’s settled. Tonight we celebrate, tomorrow, we head to Africa.”


	3. Finalizing Plans

“Tomorrow?” exclaimed Dorcas. “Goodness gracious, did you really expect us to drop everything and leave, just like that?” There was a moment’s silence as Malcolm looked at Dorcas.   
“You’re right,” he said after a moment’s silence. “That was being too hasty of me, but I have my reasons for wanting to get out of here as quickly as possible.”  
“I’m sure you do,” said Dorcas, “my nephew among them, I’m sure.” Malcolm nodded. “But I have made plans, plans that would be rude of me not to cancel instead of letting them think I will be going and not show up at all. I’ve proven myself a woman of my word with my social engagements, Mr. Edwards, and I have no intention of breaking that. So while I understand that, due to danger, you wish to leave immediately, I must respectfully request that you allow us at least one day to get our business in line. And how long do you expect us to be gone?”   
“Several months,” began Malcolm.   
“Several months?” exclaimed Dorcas. She crossed her arms. “Please give me an exact number.”   
Malcolm looked at her, like he was doing the math, before he spoke. “Approximately three to four months, at least.”   
“Three to four months at least?” exclaimed Dorcas, her eyes widening and her mouth nearly dropped.   
“W-wow, that, that is quite a while,” said Margy.   
“We have a lot of traveling to do,” said Malcolm as he set the map on the table. “Sure, we have a map and that will help us greatly. But like I said, there’s danger involved, and I would like to avoid that as much as possible, for your sake as well as mine.”   
“I should hope so,” said Dorcas.   
“Besides, there’s more than just bad men to worry about, we also have lions, hyenas, mambas . . .” Ralph began counting off on his fingers.   
“Ralph,” warned his father.   
“Sorry,” said Ralph, glancing down. But his words had their desired effect on Jimmy, Bret, and Rose. Helen didn’t seem to react to them, but Margy looked like she was really reconsidering this. Of the three, Rose really wanted the adventure; Margy just wanted the desk job and Helen just wanted to see exotic places. Margy glanced at Helen, hoping that she would change her mind. She was glancing down, thinking about it. Maybe she had decided a little too quickly. Though, after all, she did know that Africa was a pretty dangerous place, just like the West in America, or the South American countries. She glanced up at Margy, whose eyes were practically pleading with her to change her mind. Rose’s attention was full on Ralph, who seemed to be soaking up the admiration in her eyes. Helen then glanced over at Jimmy and Bret, and Bret locked eyes with her. He sent an unspoken message, though it was loud and clear to Helen and Margy, he would protect them. Helen smiled and gave him a slight nod. She was grateful for it.   
Margy glanced at Jimmy, but he, like Rose, had given his full attention to Ralph and Malcolm. She frowned. Well, guess Jimmy didn’t care for her the way Bret obviously cared for Helen and the way Ralph was starting to care for Rose. She gave a slight shake of her head, she should have figured it wouldn’t have been that easy, she wasn’t the prettiest of the three. Malcolm’s words broke into her thoughts.   
“So how long would you suggest we wait until we depart, Miss Pepper?”   
“Give me a week,” said Dorcas tartly.   
Malcolm’s nostrils seemed to flare, but he only let out a huff. “A week is too long, Miss Pepper, we must leave as soon as possible. Now that you are members of our group, you will be in grave danger the longer we wait to depart.”   
Dorcas huffed. “You should have thought of that before expecting us to just up and leave! I have made reservations and plans for the next four months, I will need time to cancel them all! And Margy is in my employ, she can’t just up and leave either until she has finished at least enough paperwork that it won’t be so piled high when she gets back.”   
Margy smiled at her employer. “Why thank you, Miss Pepper.” Dorcas only huffed in reply.  
Malcolm nodded slowly. “Yes, yes, I see I was ah, um . . . a bit hasty in my proposal. But I have never met a finer group of people and I know I can trust you all, I guess my excitement at getting to meet the very people I want and need on this trip that I got a little carried away.”   
“Thank you.”   
“However, we still need to leave within a week, no longer than that or you will be in grave danger. I’m thinking of your nephew, Miss Pepper, he no doubt will use the first opportunity he has to waylay our plans.”   
Dorcas grumbled. “I see your point there, Mr. Edwards. Fine, we shall leave within a week.”   
“But I must know how many days from now. Two? Three?”   
“Heavens, at least five!”   
“Five might actually work better,” said Stanley suddenly. All eyes turned to him. “I was approached just this morning by the captain of the Wanderer, I’ve sailed with him before and he wanted me to come on this trip to Natal. He’s a man short and since he knows how I work, figured I would be the man for the job. I told him I already had another proposition, meaning you, Mr. Edwards, and would tell him tomorrow morning my decision.”   
Malcolm strode towards Stanley and clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s just the thing! Brilliant! This is all coming together quite nicely!” He paused, the excitement dying down and a hint of suspicion crept into his eyes. “A little too nicely, perhaps, but it is coming together, and the timing is something we can all agree on.” He turned to Dorcas. “Will five days work for you and Margy?”   
Dorca sighed. “Yes, yes, that should give us ample time.”   
“And that will give me and Helen enough time to pack!” said Rose.   
Helen chuckled. “Oh Rose! It wouldn’t take us five days to pack!” She looked at Malcolm. “But having the extra time to do so is most appreciated.”   
Malcolm bowed his head. “I’m glad you think so.”   
“Sh!’   
Rose glanced at Ralph. “What is it?”   
“Sh!” was all he said. They heard a creak outside the door. Malcolm quickly snatched up the map, folded it, and stuck it in his back pocket. Jimmy, Bret, and Stanley jumped up from their seats. Bret and Jimmy quickly stepped in front of the girls while Stanley stepped towards Malcolm. Ralph went to the door, unlocked it, and opened it quickly. A lightly tanned man with dark hair stood there, grinning stupidly. He glanced at each member of the party.   
“Oh, oh I am very sorry,” he said with a thick accent. “I have wrong room, I think.” But then he glanced at the girls and grinned widely. “But this room very nice.”   
Ralph growled as he stepped in front of the man to block his view. “Then perhaps you should try another room?”   
“Ah, si, si, muito gratiae.” The man bowed and walked away. Ralph watched him leave before closing the door and bolting it.   
He turned to his father, eyes flashing. “Some immigrant impersonation, of all the rotten things!”   
Malcolm nodded. “I know. I’m glad you heard him.”   
Dorcas glanced between them. “Wait, are you saying that wasn’t some immigrant?”   
Ralph scoffed. “Of course not, not when he used Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian all at once!”   
“He does look like he’s descended from Portuguese, Spaniards, and Italians, though,” said Malcolm, ‘which would explain why he knows some words.”   
Dorcas’s mouth dropped. “Wh-what? And how do you know?”   
“Ralph and I might not be fluent in those languages, Miss Pepper, but we know enough of each to tell a fake when we see one.” Ralph nodded. “But I’m afraid that means our position has been compromised. Ralph and I shall have to go into hiding until the day of our departure.” He glanced at Dorcas. “I shall obtain everyone’s spots on the Wanderer, so don’t worry about that.” He turned to Stanley. “If I may count on you to let everyone know where the ship is docked?”   
Stanley nodded. “You may.”   
“Good, I want you to let everyone know where to locate the ship the day before we leave. The fewer details we let out before we leave, the better. I want to get enough of a head start on Rex Pepper. It’s possible we could lose him in the African jungle.”   
“Well, that’s one good thing that could come out of this,” muttered Dorcas. Margy nodded enthusiastically.   
“Then we are in a definitive agreement then? We leave on the Wanderer in five days?”   
Dorcas nodded. “Yes Mr. Edwards, we shall leave on the Wanderer in five days.”  
Malcolm smiled. “Wonderful. Come, Ralph and I still have dinner all set up for us, we shall still have our party tonight, but tomorrow morning, we will be gone and we won’t see you until you board the Wanderer.”   
Dorcas rose from her seat. “Oh very well.”   
“And may I stress, now that we have seen one adversary is in this hotel, not to speak of this outside this room?” said Ralph.  
Malcolm nodded. “Excellent point, my boy, very excellent point. We can speak of other things.” He glanced around the room. “And I do believe we have plenty to talk about that has nothing to do with Africa.” He smiled and held out his hand. “Ladies, if you will?” Jimmy and Bret quickly turned to Margy and Helen and offered their arms. The girls rose and graciously accepted. Ralph quickly strode over and offered his arm to Rose, who practically jumped up with a grin and accepted. Stanley went to open the door as Dorcas finally placed her hand on Malcolm’s arm with a sigh. With Stanley in the lead, the group walked out of the room and down the stairs to a dining table where waiters were setting up a grand dinner.   
“Whoa!” said Jimmy and Bret at the same time.   
Helen gasped. “Why, Mr. Edwards, this is too much!”   
“Nonsense! It’s not every day one meets such fine people such as yourselves,” said Malcolm with a wave of his hand.   
Rose sniffed the dishes. “Mm, my, they do smell delicious!”   
“And they taste better hot!” said Ralph as he pulled out a chair for her.   
Rose quickly sat down. “I believe it!” Once everyone sat down, Malcolm led the group in the blessing for meals. They ate heartily and chatted gaily. Malcolm was right, there was plenty to talk about that had nothing to do with Africa. They all wanted to learn more about each other, their histories, their dreams, and their goals. They chatted long after the table had been cleared, until Malcolm put a stop to the chatter.   
“I do believe it is time for you all to go to bed. Plus Ralph and I have to pack and find ourselves a new place to stay.”   
Dorcas cleared her throat. “I might have a suggestion for that, Mr. Edwards.” She motioned him closer. He leaned in, and she whispered something in his ear.   
He rose up. “Are you sure, though?” She nodded. “Alright then, that is a good idea. I’ll think about it.” Dorcas merely nodded again.   
She then rose. “And it is time we left, I told my chauffeur to be back in three hours.” She glanced at the clock. “And it’s about that time.” She glanced at the Blythes. “Helen, Margy, Rose, let’s go.” Margy immediately stood up, followed by Helen and a very reluctant Rose. The men rose as well and escorted them to the car, the group holding off saying their goodbyes until both Malcolm and Dorcas insisted on the girls leaving. Everyone finally bid goodbye, and the ladies were on their way back home. Margy was never so glad to get into bed. She was thoroughly exhausted. So was Helen. But Rose seemed to have another burst of energy.   
“We’re going on an adventure!” she said with a squeal.   
“But in order to do that you have to pack, so get to bed!” ordered Margy.   
“Oh, I’m so excited I can't sleep!”   
“You're so excited that I can't sleep!” exclaimed Margy.   
“Don't argue, please,” said Helen. “But Margy is right Rose, you really should get to bed. We have a lot of work to do.”   
Rose sighed. “Oh alright, but Sunday can't come soon enough!!” In a few minutes, the apartment was finally quiet as all three girls laid in bed, pondering the future before sleep overcame them.


	4. Something of a Problem

The next three days seemed to pass rather uneventfully, except for a few curious theories that Margy brought home from work. She thought she had seen Ralph wandering the halls of Miss Pepper’s house, but couldn’t be absolutely sure as he was always gone when she went to check. Rose figured that’s what Dorcas had talked to Malcolm about before they had left the Biltmore. They decided not to dwell too much on it, Malcolm had promised that they would see them on the boat. Other than that, those days seemed to pass slowly and yet in a haze.   
But when Saturday dawned, everything was different. Things pretty much started off dreadfully. The three had stayed up late going over everything they wanted and needed to pack, making piles of laundry that had to be done before they set sail on Sunday. This made Margy sleep in and didn’t even hear the alarm. The three rushed about, Helen and Rose helping Margy get ready for work. She was thoroughly embarrassed at being tardy, but as luck would have it, it saved them. Margy was just about to leave the apartment when a knock came at the door. She opened it.   
“Yes? Can I help you?” she asked the man standing on the other side. She shrieked when he pulled a gun on her.   
“Si, senorita,” he grumbled, “you can help me, help me find Malcolm Edwards and I will leave you alone.”   
Margy backed into the room. “B-but we don’t know where they are!”   
“I saw you with him a few nights ago!” He pointed the gun at Rose. “And you were being real sweet to his son there, darling.”   
Helen grabbed Rose and pulled her behind her, realizing at the same time who this was. “So Ralph was right, you were just impersonating an immigrant and feigning ignorance.”   
“You catch on quick, huh? Now where can I find Malcolm and Ralph Edwards!”   
“I told you,” said Margy sternly, “we don’t know. We haven’t seen them since that night, and they didn’t tell us where they were going.”   
The man eyed them for a second. “I get the feeling you’re actually telling me the truth. Smart man, but not smart enough if he left the three of you without an escort.” He glanced at each of the girls for a second. “Can you perhaps tell me who would know where they’re hiding?”   
“I-I don’t know,” said Helen, “he didn’t tell anyone that we saw.”   
“Well now, he really is covering his bases.” He sat down, the gun still aiming at them. “But I figure your boyfriends might know. Sent word to them to come here. I bet they know, and they’ll sing to protect you three.” The girls glanced at each other in shock. What were they going to do? How could they warn Jimmy and Bret?   
Meanwhile, Jimmy and Bret had just received the note, and noticing that it didn’t seem to be written by a woman, became suspicious and worried. They immediately set out to find Stanley and told him their suspicions.   
He slammed his fist into his palm. “I bet that Rex Pepper found out where the girls lived and sent one of his goons to scare them into telling where Mr. Edwards and Ralph are, but since they don’t know, they could use them as hostages to twist our arms into telling.”   
“But we don’t even know where they are!” exclaimed Jimmy worriedly. “How could we convince him to leave us all alone?”   
“We could come up with something, I don’t know, give him some different hotel, maybe? I just hope he goes to the hotel without taking anyone with him as a hostage,” said Stanley.   
“Then we’d better agree on a hotel to tell him, and we’d better get over there fast!” said Jimmy worriedly as he turned to walk away, but Stanley grabbed him and stopped him.   
“Hold on there, Jimmy, no use going into what could be an ambush without a plan. They’re definitely expecting us to come to their rescue, but we’re no good to them dead either.”   
“But then what do we do?” asked Bret. His concerns were starting to make him panic as well. He could never live with himself if something happened to the Blythes. His mind began racing with idea after crazy idea, and then he hit upon it. He gasped and snapped his fingers. “Of course! Officer Marks!”   
Jimmy blinked in confusion for a moment, but then his eyes widened when he caught on. “Bret Hartson, you are an absolute genius!”   
“Bret, Jimmy, if the girls are in real trouble, being held as hostages, there might not be much that Marks can do,” warned Stanley.   
“But if we can get the scoundrel away from them, we can,” said Jimmy, starting to walk towards the street. The other two followed.   
“I don’t know . . .” began Stanely.   
“We’ve got to try, Mr. Green, we have got to try. We have no means of communication with Mr. Edwards and Ralph, and I don’t think we have much time,” pointed out Bret matter-of-factly.   
Stanley sighed. “Alright, but we’re going to have to be extra smart and cautious about this.”   
“Of course we will,” said Bret as their steps began to quicken, “we have to. You said so yourself, we’re no good to the girls dead. But it’s no good getting them killed in the process either.” His eyes narrowed. “At all.”   
Stanley nodded. “Good, at least we’re on the same page with that. So now . . .”   
“Bret! Jimmy!” The trio stopped and turned. Officer Marks was waving at them, a boy around Jimmy’s age was with him, his cap pulled down low. Bret blinked. There was something vaguely familiar about him. “This here fellow has been looking for you,” said Marks when the two stopped in front of the trio. They glanced at the teen.   
“What for?” asked Stanley.   
“Miss Pepper sent me. Margy never showed up for work! And she’s worried.”   
“We know,” said Bret tersely as he handed Marks the note.   
The officer’s eyes bulged before they narrowed. “Just what kind of trouble did you get those sweet girls into?”   
“I’m afraid we’re not at liberty to say,” said Bret, “but we aim to get the girls out of this, and we would like your help.”   
Marks nodded. “Well, you’ve got it.”   
“And mine.” They looked at the boy. His grey eyes flashed with a raging inferno.   
“Ralph!” exclaimed Bret and Jimmy in surprise.   
“B-but how . . .” began Bret.   
Ralph shook his head with an air of finality. “Now’s not the time, the girls are more important. We’ve got to save them, so help me God! And I have an idea how.”  
Stanley nodded. “Good, but let’s walk and talk, the sooner we get there, the better.”   
“I agree,” said Bret.   
“Good idea,” said Ralph with a firm nod. The five took off for the apartment complex, talking about plans along the way.   
Meanwhile, the girls were sitting on the sofa, Helen in the middle. She had her left arm around Rose’s shoulders and her right was grasped by both of Margy’s hands. Their captor had been kind enough to allow them to fix lunch and eat it while they waited. He partook of the food as well, and even helped a bit in the cleanup. But now he sat at the dining table, glancing at the clock every now and then with his gun aimed at the girls.   
“Should be on their way now,” he muttered. “Probably couldn’t leave until their lunch break.”   
“Probably,” muttered Margy. The initial shock had well worn off by now, and she was mostly angry. Angry that she was basically being forced to miss her last day of work before they set out, angry that her sisters were being threatened, and especially angry since she could feel Helen’s trembling hand within hers.   
Helen was definitely putting on a brave face, probably helped that their captor did nothing more than point a gun at them and eat some of their food. She did hope that Bret and Jimmy would swoop in and save them, but at the same time, she was anxious about their arrival. What would happen if they got shot instead? The thought of any of their new friends or her sisters being harmed scared her more than anything. And the mere thought of Bret . . . she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to push the thought from her mind. She couldn’t think like that, not right now. Nothing could in fact happen to them, and things would turn out alright. She just had to hold on to the hope that Bret and Jimmy, and maybe even Stanley, were coming up with a plan to get everyone out unharmed. She glanced at Rose, wondering what was going through her mind.   
Well, Rose had been entertaining scenario after wild scenario about how they would get out of this. Typically it ended up where either the girls had their captor all trussed up, waiting for the boys to arrive, or the boys came barging in, with their own guns blazing. Yet, even if Rose did go through every plan of attack thoroughly, she couldn’t quite bring herself to act upon any of them. For one thing, she would have to communicate her plans to her sisters, which was particularly hard right now with the crook so close and capable of hearing every word. Secondly, Rose really had no idea how the guy would react to any of their attempts, and she was scared that her sisters, or any of the guys if they did bust in, could get shot in the process. But while that stopped her from acting upon any of them, it certainly didn’t stop her imagination from going through every one at least a second time. But the one she really lingered on, was seeing Ralph coming through the door and defeating the crook, of course with the aid of his father and a policeman. All four of them jumped when there was a loud banging at the door.   
“Helen, Margy, Rose? Are you alright?” Helen stifled a shuddering gasp. That was Bret’s voice.   
The crook glanced at the door before looking directly at her, a cruel smile playing on his face. “Oh I see.” Bret and Jimmy burst through the door.   
“Bret, wait!”   
“Not another move, gentlemen,” said the crook as he stood up, the gun still aimed at the girls, “or I shoot them.” Jimmy slowly stepped to Bret’s right and both boys turned to face the crook.   
“What do you want?” asked Bret in an even tone while his eyes tried to bore holes through the guy.   
“Where are Malcolm Edwards and his son hiding?”   
“Why do you want to know?”   
“My employer asked me to follow them, and I seem to have lost them. Now where are they?”   
“Rather dumb of you to lose them,” said Jimmy with a snort.   
“Jimmy, sh!” said Bret.   
The guy glanced at Jimmy as he aimed the gun at him. “That’s right, you’d better listen to your friend and keep quiet. Unless you can tell me where Malcolm Edwards and his son are.”   
Jimmy shook his head. “I don’t know where they are.”   
The crook blinked. “You, you don’t know?”   
Jimmy shook his head quicker. “No, I don’t.”   
The crook aimed the gun back at the girls. “You sure?”   
Jimmy looked the guy dead in the eyes. “I’m very sure.”   
The guy stared at him for a second before turning to Bret with a growl. “I guess that just leaves you, huh? You’re the only one who can guarantee the safety of these girls.”   
Bret gulped. “And if I don’t know where Mr. Edwards and his son are?”   
The guy opened his mouth and closed it, blinking in complete bewilderment. Bret had him stumped. What indeed would happen if none of them knew? Margy squirmed in her seat. She thought she knew, but she wasn’t completely sure. Would Bret have to lie to get them out of this mess? She snuck a glance at Helen’s pale face. But then, what would happen if the crook found out Bret was lying?   
The crook fumbled with his words for a moment before exclaiming, “W-well someone has to know! He wouldn’t leave you all alone without some means of communication!” He paused and glanced at each person before turning back to Bret. “Wait, there was another guy with you, that sailor! If you don’t know, maybe he does.” He walked towards the girls. “But which one of you is the most important to him?” He grabbed Helen’s arm and pulled her off the sofa. The three girls shrieked. “Maybe you?”   
“B-but I do know!” shouted Bret. The crook slowly turned his head towards Bret and let go of Helen’s arm. Margy and Rose jumped up and wrapped Helen in a hug.   
“You do now, do you?” he asked, walking towards Bret. “Or are you lying?”   
“I’m not lying, I do know where they are.”   
“Bret!”   
“Jimmy! Mr. Edwards doesn’t know the girls are in danger! He would want to protect them!”   
The crook glanced at Jimmy. “Your friend here has the right idea.” Helen stifled a cry as the crook pointed the gun at Bret’s chest. “But, to make sure you’re not lying so you all can escape, you’re coming with me.”   
“That’s alright, they’re not far.”   
The crook blinked. “Really? Where?”   
“Right here.” An arm shot out and pushed the gun up. Bam! It went off. The girls screamed. Jimmy lunged at the crook’s legs while Bret’s fist flew into the guy’s face. The momentum sent him tumbling to the ground. The gun fell out of his hand. He began grappling with the boys to get to it. Ralph dove into the tussle to keep him from getting it, but Rose was already on her way. She quickly snatched up the gun. The crook growled at her while the boys pinned him down. Officer Marks and Stanley walked in.   
“Fabio Costa, you’re under arrest.” He and Stanley helped him up and slapped some handcuffs on him. Marks turned to Rose. “May I have the gun, miss?”   
“Oh, yes, please take it,” said Rose as she gingerly handed him the gun.   
“Thank you.” He quickly unloaded it and put the bullets and the gun in his pocket. He tipped his hat. “Nice working with you again. If I’m ever in the mood to round up some crooks, I’ll know where to look.” That made everyone laugh.   
Stanley patted his back. “And we’ll know who to call. Thank you.”   
“No, thank you.” Marks tipped his hat again and escorted his prisoner out the door.   
“Man, that was too close,” said Jimmy with a breath.   
Ralph wiped his forehead and fixed his cap. “Way too close.”   
“Ralph!” Rose rushed into his arms. Margy was stunned by the look of immense relief that flooded his face as he wrapped his arms around her younger sister. Had they really fallen in love at first sight? Bret walked into her vision as he wrapped his arms around a slightly trembling Helen.   
“That, that was a real stupid thing to do, Bret Hartson.”   
Bret touched her forehead with his. “I had to get him to aim the gun at me so Ralph could put his plan into action. And look, it worked out fine.” Helen merely nodded before burying her head into his chest and sniffling.   
“Are you alright, Margy?”   
Margy glanced at Stanley. She started to smile and say yes, but paused and then shook her head. “No, I’m not.”   
Jimmy looked at her, worried and puzzled. “How are you not fine?”   
“The guy had the nerve to make me miss a half day of work!” There was a stunned silence as everyone stared at Margy. Rose and Ralph were the first two to do anything. They glanced at each other, then fell on the floor laughing. Margy shook her head and sighed. So they pretty much were meant to be together. Jimmy was the next one to fall over laughing. Stanley was shaking his head, but he was chuckling. Bret held on to Helen while he laughed, and Helen was trying to wipe away the stray tears that fell down her face while her body shook with laughter. Margy grinned.  
“Well then, I suggest we hurry it up and get you there.” Malcolm’s figure appeared in the doorway.  
Ralph jumped up. “Dad!”   
Malcolm stood in the doorway of the apartment. “I hate to dampen the mood, but we need to get you three out of here. Dorcas has allowed me to take you to her house to spend the night.”   
Rose gasped. “We get to stay in Miss Pepper’s mansion?”   
Malcolm nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. “Yes, for tonight. Her car’s waiting outside. We need to leave immediately.”   
“Oh!” exclaimed Helen. There was a flurry of activity. Since the girls were, thankfully, mostly packed, they were able to get their luggage to the car with the help of the boys fairly quickly. Once the car was all loaded, they went their separate ways. Bret, Jimmy, and Stanley back to their work at the docks while Malcolm and Ralph escorted the Blythes to Dorcas’s house and helped them get situated. They also found out Margy had been right, Malcolm and Ralph were already staying at Dorcas’s house. Dorcas had suggested it to Malcolm, and he took her up on it.   
Almost as soon as Margy was ready, she got straight to work, finishing up what papers Dorcas needed her to do. Rose and Helen helped her as best as they could, which helped the task go by even faster. Stanley, Bret, and Jimmy joined them for dinner, and Stanley informed everyone where the Wanderer was docked. That night, despite the suspense of the morning, or perhaps because of it, everyone slept soundly, all eager to get underway on their adventure, even Margy.


	5. Leaving New York

“Oh, it’s rather lovely!” exclaimed Rose upon seeing the Wanderer. It was by no means a luxury cruise ship, but it was clean and looked quite sea worthy.   
Ralph nodded as he stepped in next to her. “It is a fine ship. Stanley says it’s one of the best ships out there.” His face seemed to fall a little. “But he can’t quite say the same about the crew.”   
Rose glanced at him, blinking in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”   
Ralph gave a little shake of his head. “Stanley says he doesn’t trust the looks of some of them, so we’d better watch our step.”   
“And you’d better watch your step right now!” blurted Margy, following Bret and Jimmy past the two with their luggage. “As in, move it!” Ralph and Rose grinned at each other before grabbing some of the luggage out of Dorcas’s car and following the rest of the group to the boat. They quickly found their cabins and got to settling in. Helen and Rose shared one cabin, while Margy shared the one next door with Dorcas. Across from them were Ralph and Malcolm with Bret and Jimmy sharing the one next door to the Edwards. Stanley, as a crew member, would be sharing with the rest of the crew, of course, but had promised to take the night guard shift to make sure no one was disturbed in their slumber, or that anything would happen to them in their sleep. Malcolm repeated Ralph’s warning when the group rendezvoused in his cabin.   
“Even if we can know for sure that none of Rex’s spies are on board,” he continued, “it doesn’t mean we should be spilling our whole plan just willy nilly. Some men are just simply greedy and will take whatever chance they can get to gain fortune without having to do too much work.”   
Dorcas scoffed. “Like what you’re already doing is much work.”   
Malcolm shot her a look. “You mean like you worked hard for your wealth?”   
Dorcas opened her mouth, then immediately closed it, but she glared at Malcolm.   
Rose raised her hand. “Mr. Edwards?”   
Malcolm turned to her, his face softening into an affectionate smile. “Yes Rose?”   
“Could we just be vacationers while we’re on board? You know, just enjoying the journey?”   
He nodded, his smile broadening. “That is an excellent idea, Rose! It probably would be best to just act like regular tourists until we get to our safe house just outside Natal.”   
Dorcas raised an eyebrow. “You have a safe house in Natal?”   
“No, just outside of Natal,” Ralph corrected her. Dorcas shot him a glare before turning back to Malcolm, still waiting for a reply.   
Malcolm shrugged. “Yes, well, it’s something of a safe house. It’s one of the safest places we could go to in Natal at the moment. I’ll explain more when we get there. Right now, I suggest going through with Miss Rose’s idea and enjoy this voyage across the Atlantic like tourists. I will call together another meeting tomorrow night so we can include Stanley, and one final one the night before we land at port. Sounds good?” The others answered in the affirmative. “Good, you may do what you wish now.” Ralph practically whisked Rose away to the deck while Helen went to their cabin to take out some art supplies. Bret followed her to help her. Margy went to her cabin to read and Jimmy wanted to take a nap.   
Rose went to the railing and took in a deep breath, letting the raw sea air fill her lungs. “Mmm, I think I could live on the sea if I could!” She stretched. “It feels so good!”   
Ralph grinned as he leaned on the railing. “So, thinking of a beach house or a houseboat, huh?”  
Rose shrugged. “Maybe, but I don’t really know where I want to live. There are so many places to see! I don’t think I could quite settle down in one place for long.”   
Ralph’s grin seemed to grow wider. “Oh, I totally get that, and I’ve been travelling for longer than you have!”   
“Speaking of, where exactly have you gone?”   
“Hmm, well,” began Ralph as he turned to look out on the sea, “I’ve been to Africa several times already. We have traveled to Europe several times as well. We’ve been to South America a couple of times, but Dad wants to go again, there’s just so much there still unexplored! Oh, and the islands too. Though,” Ralph held up a finger, “we do have to be careful out there, there are cannibals, and I for one don’t want to be someone’s lunch.”   
Rose shivered. “How horrid! How could anyone think of eating another person?”   
Ralph shrugged. “It could have been a survival instinct at first, and then it grew to become their preferred food.” He too shivered. “Though yes, it is ghastly. That I think is the most uncivilised thing a human can do when it’s not a question of survival. Many native tribes are so much more civilized than that, and I am happy to have known some.”   
“Do you know many languages?”   
Ralph sighed and shook his head, though he was smiling, grateful for the change in topic. “No, unfortunately, and the ones I do know of I don’t know very well. Like with that Fabio guy, Dad and I knew enough that we could tell he was using three different languages. To an untrained ear, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian sound similar enough that they would have bought it, but since we have heard quite a bit of each, we could tell he was a fake.” He sighed and his face fell, making him look older than he was. “And that got you in danger. I’m sorry about that.”   
“It’s alright, I knew you were on your way to save us.” She smiled. “Besides, I think it did us good as it actually got Margy excited about going!”   
Ralph laughed. “Though I think that might have to do with getting away from Rex Pepper.”   
Rose nodded. “Yes, yes, there is that too, but I know my sister, and she was finally excited to come!”   
“Alright, alright, you do know your sister better than I do.” He tilted his head and glanced over her fine features. “And . . . I hope I get to know each of you quite well.” His fingers brushed hers as he lowered his voice. “Especially you.”   
“I’d like that,” whispered Rose. They leaned forward, their intent clear, they wanted to kiss. But a sharp cry interrupted them. The couple quickly turned towards the opposite side of the boat. There, at the opposite railing, stood Bret and Helen, and Helen burst out laughing. Bret stepped away from the railing, soaking wet. Ralph and Rose burst out laughing as they dashed to the other side.   
“What, what happened to you?” asked Ralph between laughs.   
Bret tried to shake off a bit of the water, but he was still dripping. He at least was able to smile sheepishly at them. “I was trying to get some water for Helen. She wanted to use watercolors, and, well . . .” He shook himself again. “A wave got me.”   
Helen fell on the floor, tears streaming from her eyes, laughing hard. “Oh man, you should have, you should have seen it!” she said between laughs. She tried to describe the wave that hit Bret and his reaction, but she couldn’t, she just laughed even harder. Finally, after a few minutes, the laughter died down and Bret was starting to dry off in the rays of the sun. All four down sat on the deck in a circle, calming down.   
“Oh man, that was good, Bret, that was real good,” said Ralph. His face felt like it was hurting from all the smiling he was doing and his sides hurt from all the laughing, but he was enjoying it. He had had very few friends before now, and he was relishing every moment.   
Bret chuckled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He flung some more droplets off his hands. “It’s going to take me a while to dry off.”   
Rose looked at Helen. “You still need water for your paint, right?”   
Helen sighed and wiped a tear from her eye. “Yes I do.” They all blinked in confusion when Rose got up and grabbed the glass Bret was going to use. “Rose, what are you doing?”   
Ralph snickered. “Do you plan on getting as soaked as Bret?”   
Rose laughed. “Oh no, definitely not! But since he already went through all the trouble . . .” She knelt down next to him, grabbed a bit of his shirt, and wrung some water from it into the glass.   
Helen gasped. “Rose, you are a genius!”   
“That’s a great idea!” exclaimed Bret at the same time.  
Rose grinned. “It should help you dry off faster.”   
Bret chuckled. “I sure hope so!” Ralph and Helen got up to help her wring a few more spots, which gave Helen enough water.   
“Oh, the perfect amount!’ exclaimed Helen. She gave Bret a little kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for getting this for me, even though you got soaked.”   
Bret blushed a little. “Y-you’re welcome!” He quickly stood up as Ralph began to snicker.   
“Oh Ralph, leave him alone,” berated Helen. “All boys do that.”   
Ralph scoffed. “Not me.”   
Rose and Helen shared a look and grins spread on their faces. “Is that so, huh?” said Rose, right before kissing him on the cheek.   
He quickly jumped up, his face turning beet red. “H-hey! No fair!” Rose and Helen broke into peals of laughter while the boys glanced at each other and grinned sheepishly.   
“What’s all this ruckus about?” The group turned and saw a middle-aged man puffing away at his pipe. He had a grey cap sitting atop a mop of sandy blonde hair, his skin weathered by days at sea, just like Stanley, while his brown eyes glanced at each one of them before lingering on Ralph. The man nodded at him. “Your Malcolm Edwards’s boy, aren’t you?”   
Ralph nodded slowly. “Yes sir, I am. Ralph Edwards is my name. And you are?”   
“Second mate, Larry Simms.” Larry tilted his head. “So you’ve got some manners, huh? That’s good.” He nodded at the girls. “Guess you won’t take advantage of these young ladies.” Though he said ‘ladies’, Larry’s gaze lingered on Rose. Bret gasped while Ralph’s jaw tightened. Had he seen that he and Rose almost kissed? It was a mistake on Ralph’s part, he should have known better. They weren’t out of danger yet, now was the worst time to reveal his interests in the youngest Blythe. Yet he couldn’t help it, he could see the fire that blazed within her soul, and he was drawn towards like a moth to a flame. If Larry had seen the near kiss, who else had and would use it against him on this trip? But first, he had to get that man’s eyes off Rose.   
“Were you just coming to check our honesty?” asked Ralph with a hint of ice in his voice.   
Larry’s head turned towards Ralph, almost slowly and pleased with the results of his little experiment. The two locked eyes for a brief moment. “No,” Larry finally said, “I was wondering if you could take a message to your father. The captain has invited you two and your friends to dinner tonight. Dinner will be served at six o’clock sharp.”   
“And should I take my father’s answer to the Captain himself, or should I look for you?”   
Larry waved his hand. “Whoever you find first, don’t matter. Just let us know before four, ok?”   
“Alright, I’ll go tell my father now and get the answer to either one of you quickly.”   
Larry patted Ralph’s shoulder. “Attaboy! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some duties to tend to. Until this evening, ladies and gentlemen.” Larry tipped his hat and walked away. No one moved a muscle until he was out of sight.   
“Ralph?” Rose asked gently.   
“Do you want to go below deck with me, or do you want to stay here with your sister and Bret?”   
Rose glanced at Helen and Bret, then turned back to Ralph. “I’ll stay here with them.”   
Ralph gave a quick nod. “Alright, I’ll be back soon.” He turned and took off towards the room he and his father shared. He knocked on the door before bursting in at the same time his father said to come in. Ralph saw that Dorcas was still in the room, but he gave no thought to it as he looked directly at his father.   
“Yes Ralph?”   
“The captain was wondering if we would join him for dinner tonight at six sharp, our whole party.”   
Malcolm thought over it a moment before giving a slight nod. “I think that will be fine. We will be there.” He scrutinized his son. “Was there something else?”   
“I don’t trust his second mate, Simms.”   
Malcolm raised an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”   
Ralph let out a huff and told him about the entire incident. “But it’s not just that, I have this sneaking suspicion he’s up to no good.”   
Malcolm slowly nodded. “I see, and your suspicions haven’t been wrong yet. We’ll proceed with caution.”   
“You don’t think Rex paid him to keep an eye on us?” asked Dorcus. “We didn’t know the position of the Wanderer until last night!”   
Malcolm shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe Simms isn’t actually after us, he’s just sleazy and untrustworthy.” He nodded at Ralph. “But we’ll still be cautious, just the same. Let the captain know that we will join him tonight.” He sat back in his chair and pressed his hands together. “And maybe we’ll learn a thing or two about both of them.”   
At six sharp, the group were sitting around the captain’s dining table. It was a rather casual dinner, and a casual atmosphere. They talked mainly about sea adventures as both the Captain and his second mate had plenty of tales to tell and willing listeners. But as they were leaving, Ralph and Simms locked eyes, and red flags went through Ralph’s head. He didn’t know how, but he knew Simms was watching them, and he didn’t know why. Was he working for someone, or just out to find the real reason behind their travelling on the Wanderer? What would he do if he found out? No matter what, they had to watch their step while they were on this boat.


	6. Rough Seas

Ralph did mention his suspicions to everyone, and Malcolm reiterated the importance of their secrecy. Not another word was to be said until their meeting the following night.   
The next day, the group tried to act the same, but one could tell there was a difference. Ralph's eyes didn't hold the same sparkle and he watched the majority of the crew out of the corner of his eye. Rose’s laughs weren’t as cheery, and Helen’s hands trembled as she painted with Bret hovering around on high alert. But that was only noticeable mainly by the people who knew them fairly well. For someone who had not become a friend, they acted like a normal group of young tourists, out for a good time.   
Jimmy and Margy eventually joined them topside, and the six got into a deep discussion about travel and life. Ralph figured it was a safe discussion as everyone knew not to reveal any information pertaining to the valley of diamonds. It sooned turned to Helen’s painting, which she was finishing up. It was a scene of the sea, and they all admired it. They helped her clean up and proceeded to head below with the supplies and the painting to show it off. Along the way, Ralph noticed a sailor coming out of the cabin next to the one he shared with his father. The sailor seemed to be looking down the corridor while he quietly closed the door, as if making sure no one saw him before turning and noticing the teens. He and Ralph locked eyes, and red flags seemed to go off in Ralph’s head.   
“Hey!” was all Ralph could say. The sailor took off down the corridor. Ralph took off after him, but he was gone. Gritting his teeth, Ralph made his way back to the room. His father eyed him when he entered the room. Ralph pointed to the wall separating the rooms. “I saw some sailor acting pretty suspiciously in that room. I went after him, but he got away.”   
Malcolm rubbed his chin. “Hmm.” He went out into the hall, Ralph trailing him. He opened the cabin door, and found it empty. He stepped inside and took a quick look around. Ralph did the same but didn’t see anything. His forehead furrowed as another thought hit him. Why was this the only room on the ship that was empty?. “Come on,” said Malcolm, ushering Ralph back to their room and closing the door behind them.   
“Did you find anything?” asked Bret.   
Malcolm shook his head. “Nothing that stood out to me. Ralph?”   
Ralph shook his head. “I didn’t notice anything either.”   
“Then what was he doing in there?” asked Jimmy.   
Malcolm shrugged. “I don’t know, I wouldn’t be able to tell you.”   
“What were you doing in here?” asked Rose.   
Malcolm chuckled. “Certainly not talking to myself, that’s for sure. I was going over a map of Africa.” He pulled both maps out of his pockets. Ralph nodded. The less said, the better. He glanced at the other five, they seemed to figure out the same meaning behind Malcolm’s words. “But considering what just occurred . . . I think it best that we go over it once we’ve landed.”   
Bret nodded. “That makes sense.” He smiled. “I’m sure everyone would want to get their land legs back.”   
Malcolm smiled as he returned the maps to his pockets. “Yes, I agree. Speaking of, you have all adjusted to the sea quite well.” He glanced at the girls. “And you three especially.” His smile widened upon seeing the picture. “Certainly well enough to paint such a lovely picture!”   
Helen blushed at the praise. “Oh, um, thank you, Mr. Edwards.”   
Bret beamed at her. “I think the sea cooperated with her because it knew she was going to paint it.”   
Jimmy burst out laughing. “So you mean to say that the sea was posing?”   
Bret shrugged. “I guess you could say that.” Everyone burst out laughing.   
“Well if that is the case, I hope Miss Helen paints the sea some more so we can have a real smooth sailing!” said Jimmy with a cheeky grin.   
Helen laughed. “Oh, I shall try to, but I think I shall take a break first.”   
“After a painting this fine, you deserve one,” said Bret.  
Helen turned to him with shining eyes. “Why thank you Bret.” Bret smiled widely, his heart thumping wildly. He thought he probably looked stupid, but he didn’t care. Whenever Helen looked upon him with those shining eyes full of admiration, he felt like he couldn’t get enough. It also made him feel like working hard and making sure she got everything she would need for her art.   
“Mm-hmm,” said Jimmy. Everyone glanced at him, his eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief.   
“What are you thinking, Jimmy?” asked Ralph, liking the looks of that gleam.   
“I’m thinking Helen Hartson has a nice ring to it . . .” Helen’s and Bret’s faces went beet red.   
Margy gasped and swatted at Jimmy. “Jimmy Stone, don’t be such a bully!”   
“Ow!” Jimmy rubbed his shoulder. “But I’m not! I really do think they’re adorable together!” He turned to Ralph, Rose, and Malcolm. “Don’t you think so too?”   
Ralph grinned. “Oh of course!”   
Rose squealed. “Are you kidding? They’re totally adorable!!”   
Malcolm laughed. “I do too, but you should stop teasing them. They’ve only just met after all, and you can’t know a person fully in one week.”   
Margy crossed her arms. “Thank you Mr. Edwards.” Yes, she was glad to have the back-up, but she still didn’t quite like the idea. For one thing, like Malcolm had said, they had only just met, this was merely a crush on both sides. But for another, she wasn’t ready for Helen to get married yet, much less even thinking about it. They had just started out on their own, she didn’t want that to change just yet. Besides, there was still Rose to worry about, she was only sixteen. Sure, Helen was only nineteen and Margy herself had just recently turned eighteen, so they weren’t that much older than Rose, but she was the baby and needed some more guidance, and she didn’t quite think that Ralph could provide that, even though he does act more wiser than Rose does.   
Everyone jumped when a knock came at the door. Ralph and Malcolm shared a look before Malcolm walked towards the door and opened it slightly. “Oh, Miss Pepper! A pleasure to see you!” He opened the door all the way and let Dorcas into the room.  
Dorcas glanced around the room. “What’s this? Are you having a meeting without me?”   
Malcolm chuckled as he closed the door. “No, Helen just finished her painting of the sea and came to show me.” He waved a hand in front of it. “What do you think?”   
Dorcas tilted her head and then nodded slowly and in awe. “That’s, that’s pretty good Miss Helen.”   
Helen beamed with pride. “Why, thank you Miss Pepper!”   
Margy hugged Helen. “Isn’t she just fantastic?”   
“Yes, yes quite! But this is just one painting, I think she has the potential to be even greater,” said Dorcas with a confident nod of her head.   
A slight blush came back into Helen’s cheeks as she put her hands to her face. “Oh, you think so? I-I certainly hope I can be!”   
Dorcas nodded even more firmly. “Yes, I do think so.” She let out a breath. “And as much as I could stand here admiring your fine work, this wasn’t why I had come.”   
The group glanced at each other. “Oh?” said Malcolm. “Then why did you come?”   
“The Captain asked us to dinner again, and to dinner for the rest of the trip to Africa,” said Africa.   
The group glanced at each other in surprise. “Really?” chorused several voices.   
“Oh can we?” said Rose excitedly. “I like listening to their stories!”   
Ralph rubbed his chin, making him look almost like a younger version of his father. “I don’t know, I for one would like to avoid Simms.”   
“I second that,” said Margy. “He’s kind of arrogant, and that irks me.”   
“But we could find out a little more about him if we observed him,” pointed out his father. “And it could us a clue as to what his true intentions are.”   
Ralph nodded. “Yeah, I can see that.”   
Rose clasped her hands. “So we’ll accept?”   
Malcolm turned to Bret, Jimmy, and Helen. “You three have yet to give your input. What do you think?”   
Jimmy shrugged. “Well, I wouldn’t mind listening to those stories either. I think they were fun.”   
“Yeah, I kinda like listening to them too,” said Bret. He glanced at Helen. “What do you say?”   
Helen glanced at her sisters. It was like their first meeting with the Edwards’ again, Rose was enthusiastic while Margy was hesitant. She sighed and shrugged. “It was fine by me. But like Mr. Edwards mentioned, it would give us a chance to learn more about Simms and his motives.”   
“But that’s only if he reveals them,” said Margy with a sigh, knowing she had basically lost.   
“Then we shall be very vigilant and catch what we can,” said Malcolm with an air of finality before opening the door. The group went to dinner with the captain and first mate Simms. Ralph and Malcolm took up the task of vigilantly observing Simms during the dinner, but they didn’t seem to gleam much, outside of Ralph’s constant red flags popping up and his annoyance at Simms seemingly trying to impress Rose. He held his peace, but a storm was brewing underneath his calm exterior. If Simms ever overstepped his boundaries, Ralph would be the first to send him flying.   
They returned to Malcolm’s cabin after the dinner was over, and found Stanely waiting there for them.   
“You supped with the Captain and Simms, eh?”   
Malcolm nodded as he opened the door to his cabin. “We did, and we will be doing so every night until we dock.” He waited until everyone was in the room and he had closed the door before continuing. “I thought it best to glean what we could from interacting with them.”  
“Yes, their stories are fascinating,” said Rose. She paused and bit her lip as she grabbed Ralph’s sleeve.   
Ralph eyed her. “But?”   
“But next time, can I sit next to you? I don’t like how Simms doesn’t seem to take a hint.”   
Ralph patted her hand. “Yes, please, I don’t like it either.”   
Stanley blinked in confusion before turning to Malcolm for an explanation. Malcolm sighed. “Apparently Mr. Simms witnessed a little romantic moment between Ralph and Rose.” His eyebrows furrowed. “Which makes me wonder why he’s specifically singling out Ralph and Rose when it’s been obvious that Bret and Helen are interested in each other as well.” He began to pace the little room he had to walk in the cabin. “And first Rex Pepper tried to stop us from meeting up with Stanley . . . but didn’t bother to try and follow us. Why?”   
“Dad?”   
Malcolm began tapping his chin. “I have a sneaking suspicion there’s someone else behind all this, Ralph, someone pulling the strings. Both Simms and Rex seem perfectly capable of coming up with their own devious plots, but this . . .” He glanced at Ralph. “This seems to be aimed at us, son.”   
Ralph blinked. “What?”   
“Say what?” exclaimed Bret, Helen, Rose, and Jimmy at the same time.   
“What in heaven’s name do you mean by that?” asked Dorcas.   
“How can you tell?” asked Margy.   
Malcolm sighed as he glanced at each of them before his eyes lingered on Ralph. “They get to Rose, they’ll get to you, and through you to me.” His eyes grew sad but there was love in them. “You know I’ll do anything to keep you safe.”   
Ralph sighed. “I know, and I’d do the same for you. But Dad, only Ned Blythe ever thought like that!”   
“Ned Blythe!” exclaimed several voices at once.   
Malcolm nodded. “Yes, and I believe you girls when you said you only had one aunt. I have no doubt he is not related to you. However, as you can tell, the fact that you share a last name with this crook did not have an adverse affect on me and Ralph. We knew we could trust you three immediately.”   
“You’re far too cute to be related to him anyway.” Ralph paused and blushed slightly. “I mean, uh . . .”  
Malcolm chuckled softly. “That is a, uh, good point. But you forgot the most vital piece of information, son, Ned Blythe is dead.”   
“Wait, he is?” said Stanley. The others echoed him.   
Malcolm nodded. “Yes, in the same accident that killed Tom Ferris. Point is, this meeting is turning out to be much more different than I was anticipating. I had wanted to remind each of you to keep quiet on the valley, but, since we’ve already established that without a meeting, I think we should focus on figuring out who’s behind all this.”   
“But you just said this Ned Blythe creep is dead,” said Dorcas. “How can he pull the strings from beyond the grave?”   
“That’s my concern, Miss Pepper. Who knows, maybe this isn’t actually Ned’s doing, but it’s all on Simms. I’m beginning to suspect that the two men met at one point and that Ned told him everything.” He sat down on the bed and pressed his fingers together. “Maybe listening to their stories for the rest of the trip is a good idea.” He nodded at Rose. “And it’s a good idea for the girls to sit as far away as possible from Simms.”   
The sisters bobbed their heads. “I have no problem with that,” said Margy.   
“I agree,” said Helen.   
“But then that begs the question, is the Captain in on it too?” asked Dorcas.   
“Now that is a good question,” said Malcolm.   
“I don’t think so,” said Stanley. “I think Simms is merely working for him and that he just wants to run a good ship, that’s all. I have worked with him before and he’s been very honest.”   
“But he went to you to ask you to work for him on this trip,” said Malcolm.   
Stanley nodded his head slowly. “Yes, yes he did, but Simms could have easily made the suggestion. He’s earned the captain’s trust.”   
Malcolm nodded. “I can accept that.”   
“Wait, sh! Did you hear that?” asked Helen. The room went silent.   
“What did you hear?” asked Malcolm softly.   
“I hear it too!” said Rose. Her eyes widened as she turned to the others. “I-I think someone’s listening to our conversation from the other room!”   
Ralph, Malcolm, and Stanley jumped up and were out of the room in a flash. A sailor dashed out of the adjourning room and sped off, the three in hot pursuit. Brett and Jimmy thought of following them, but figured that with three against one, they would be fine, and they should stay in case someone else came along. The fact that the girls had been threatened was still fresh on their minds.   
Several minutes later they came back, out of breath.   
“We, we managed to lose him,” muttered Ralph between gulps of air.   
Dorcas scoffed. “You lost him? We’re on a boat. How did you manage to do that?”   
“We’re on a boat, yes,” said Stanley, “but there are still plenty of places to hide, especially if you know the boat well, which I don’t.”   
Malcolm glanced at Bret and Jimmy. “Did anyone come back?”   
They shook their heads. “No sir,” said Bret.   
Malcolm ushered Ralph and Stanley back into the room and closed the door. “Good, then I shall make this quick. We won’t have that last meeting before we dock, I can’t risk them hearing about the location of the safe house. Instead, we’ll split up into two groups. Ralph, you take Bret, Rose, and Helen and head to the safe house. Make sure you’re not followed.”   
Ralph nodded. “Right.”   
“I’ll take Stanley, Miss Pepper, Margy, and Jimmy and we’ll meet you there. If our group is not there by sunset, then something’s happened to us, and I’ll say the same for you. If we get there and you’ve not arrived by sunset, something bad has happened.”   
“But until we dock?” asked Helen.   
Malcolm looked at each of them. “Watch your backs, and don’t say anything about the valley. We’re going to be on this boat for several more days, but I don’t think they’ll try anything until we’ve docked.”   
Dorcas scoffed. “That’s what you think, until one of us gets murdered in our sleep.”   
“That’s what I know, Miss Pepper. However, once we have docked, be ready to move quickly and stick to your group. All of our lives may depend on it.”


	7. The Safe House

For the rest of the trip to Africa, the group were very cautious and took every precaution to prevent anyone from finding out about their plans. They were never so happy when the port came into view and could alight the boat. Ralph wanted to wait a little longer since his father’s team would have to wait for Stanley. But eventually, the four did get a hold of a cab and Ralph gave the driver the address.   
Margy watched anxiously as the cab left the port. She knew her sisters would be safe with Ralph and Bret, that they would make sure they were safe. But she still couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling. The three of them had been together and been through a lot, and now, being separated from them, it was making her really anxious.   
She, Dorcas, Jimmy, and Malcolm waited a few minutes after Ralph and his team left before getting their own cab. Drocas and Margy waited in the cab while Malcolm and Jimmy loaded the luggage, including Stanley’s. Once they were finished, they entered the cab to wait for Stanley.  
Malcolm patted her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I’m sure everything will be alright. I’m sure Stanley will be out in a minute.” Margy only nodded before glancing anxiously at the ship.   
Jimmy, on the other hand, was more concerned about the other carriage being followed, a concern that Malcolm held as well. He had watched the other cab’s departure like a hawk. There were other cabs and a few carriages rolling around, going about their regular day, but none seemed to leave a particular path to follow Ralph’s cab. But after they had found a sailor, probably working for Simms, listening in on their plans, Jimmy felt like he was on high alert. But another problem had crossed his mind, one that had gone unspoken of to the others. Was the safe house really all that safe? He certainly hoped it would be, after the incidents with that crook in New York, and then again with a sailor during the trip over the sea, Jimmy wanted somewhere that they could consider safe from all prying eyes and ears. Though, he did have to admit, it was certainly making this trip all the more exciting. Did Malcolm and Ralph have to deal with this every time they went off in search of treasure? It was thrilling, but yet concerning at the same time.   
Everyone jumped when Stanley jumped into the cab. “We should go, now!’  
Malcolm quickly gave the driver the address and told him to go. He turned to Stanley, worry etching his forehead. “What’s wrong Stanley, what happened?”   
“Simms was looking for you,” said Stanley. “I just told him to check your cabin as I knew you hadn’t left yet. It’s only a matter of time before he realizes that I didn’t mean on the boat.”   
Dorcas let out a sigh. “Well, let’s hope that you gave us enough of a head start on those goons.”   
Stanley nodded. “I hope so too.”   
“I guess we shall find out shortly,” said Malcolm, throwing a glance out the window.   
“How long will it take us to get to the safe house?” asked Jimmy.   
“No more than half an hour, all depends on the traffic.” Malcolm let out a breath. “But I do prefer it being longer and more traffic, we’re more likely to lose anyone who tries to follow us in the traffic.”  
Anxiety seemed to take over Margy’s mind. “But if it takes us longer to get to the safe house and, and if something happened to the others . . .”   
Malcolm sighed. “Margy . . . we’ll worry about that when it comes time. Right now, we have to make sure we’re not being followed.”   
“Are, are you fleeing from the police?” asked the driver.   
Malcolm chuckled as he shook his head and patted the driver’s shoulder. “No sir, we’re not fleeing from the police. We’re fleeing from some bad men. I’m hoping we just leave them at the dock and we never hear or see them again.”   
The driver nodded. “Very good sir.”   
“It’s possible,” said Stanley, “the Wanderer’s supposed to head to Australia in a few days. They can’t exactly follow us around everywhere and expect to be back here in time for the ship to leave.”   
“A very good point, Stanley,” said Malcom, “a very good point.” But his face was turned away from them, and they didn’t see the thoughtful lines creasing his forehead or the hint of worry in his eyes.   
The drive to the safe house was mostly pleasant, and quiet. The driver did ask of their purpose in Natal, and Malcolm told him that he personally was on business that he was taking care of for a friend and was acting as something of a guide to the others, Stanley was his aide. Dorcas let out a little growl, letting Malcolm know that she didn’t like that lie. But no one said anything to contradict his story. The driver bought it, though, and not much more was said after that.   
But Jimmy was enjoying the trip. His eyes sparkled with delight at the thrill of being in a new land and watched the scenes that unfolded outside the car’s window with excitement. Sure, it looked like any regular day in a big city, but it thrilled Jimmy.   
Margy, on the other hand, couldn’t look out the window and not think of her sisters. Sure, Ralph and Bret would make absolutely sure the two of them were alright, but what if there were too many men for them to handle? Then what? Would they be able to get there in time to help? Margy squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push the worrisome thoughts out of her head. Concentrate on one thing at a time, concentrate on one thing at a time, she kept telling herself. If no one followed either cab, then the safe house was still safe for them. Margy wished it could stay like that for a little while before they had to trek through the plains of Africa. If they were going to have to deal with human dangers on top of natural dangers, they would definitely need the break.   
It was the driver who let them know they had arrived. “This, this is Tom Ferris’s house!” The others gasped as the house came into view. It was a lovely white and tan, three-storey, Edwardian house surrounded by lush African foliage. At least, that was what they could tell based on what they could see over the large, black, iron-wrought fence. The driver glanced at Malcolm. “You’re a friend of Dado too?”   
Malcolm smiled. “Well of course! One couldn’t be friends with TOm without being friends with Dado. He’s a wonderful chap. And he should be expecting us. Ah good, yes there he is!”   
A dark-skinned young man around Stanley’s age opened the gate for the car. He was wearing tan safari attire and his black curls were cut short. His deep brown eyes twinkled with excitement as he flashed them a toothy grin. He rushed to Malcolm’s window.   
“Ah, Mister Malcolm! So good to see you, my friend!”   
Malcolm clasped Dado’s hand and shook it fervently. “It’s wonderful to see you too, Dado! Did the others make it alright?”   
Dado laughed. “I think so. Ralph could not keep quiet about his new friends!”   
Malcolm lifted his head back and roared with laughter. “However did you manage to get him to stop talking?”   
“Oh, easy, I told him to show his new friends around the house and the yard. I figured it would be good for him to spend a little bit of time with his new lady friend in particular.” Dado grinned wider as he waggled his eyebrows.   
“Oh ho ho, so you caught onto that too, huh?” Malcolm chuckled. “Well, come on, let’s show the rest of our guests the house and yard as well.”   
Dado grinned. “Yes!” He nimbly leapt onto the tiny step outside Malcolm’s door and gripped the window. He nodded at the driver. “Let’s go!” The car lurched forward, driving slower than before, but Dado didn’t mind hanging on. It wasn’t that long of a drive to the front door.   
“My goodness, this is a lovely house!” said Dorcas as she got out of the car and looked up at it in all its grandeur.   
“I feel like Cinderella looking at her prince’s palace,” said Margy.   
“Wait, do you think Dado is your prince or something?” asked Jimmy.   
Margy shot him a look. “It was just an expression. I’d imagine CInderella felt this same way looking at the palace for the first time.” She turned to Dado. “It does look magnificent!”   
Dado grinned as he placed a couple of suitcases on the staircase and placed his hands on his hips. “Of course, Mr. Ferris wanted me to keep it beautiful!” He picked up the suitcases and nodded at the door. “Come, see the inside!” Jimmy went to help Stanley with the last of the luggage and the group went into the house. “I help with luggage in one minute, I need to close the gates.”   
“But what about our rooms?” asked Dorcas.   
Dado grinned. “Mister Malcolm knows the house,” was all he said before dashing to the car and getting in. The car went back to the gate.   
Dorcas huffed. “Well I’ll be!”   
Malcolm chuckled. “Dado doesn’t know the etiquettes for English or American high society. Tom didn’t enforce it. He only picked this style of house because he thought it fit the landscape, and I quite agree.”   
“Whoa!” said Jimmy, his eyes taking in every detail in the foyer. “Look at all these colors! And designs!”   
Dorcas turned, and let out a little shriek. “What in heaven’s name is all this nonsense!”   
“Oh, Dado was the interior decorator too. Tom wanted to incorporate African style into the house,” explained Malcolm. And it showed. The vibrant colors and patterns decorated the otherwise white walls. There were hardly any pictures to be seen. There was one at the base of the grand staircase. It was of a man sitting under an acacia tree, his back turned to them. “Now, if you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to your rooms.”   
Dorcas sighed. “Fine.” She marched up the stairs after the men with the luggage, Margy taking up the rear. But her grimacing quickly turned back to awe as they saw the lovely rooms. The walls were in a pale yellow, and Malcolm told them the color caught the rays of the sun just perfectly in the evenings. They quickly found the rooms the other four had chosen as their own and proceeded to choose their own. Margy was promptly given the room that was across from where Rose and Helen were sleeping with Dorcas choosing the room next door. Malcolm took up residence in the room next to his son’s, while Jimmy and Stanley took the rooms next to Bret’s. Once the luggage was situated, they went off in search of their host and the rest of their party. They found them all setting up a picnic lunch on the veranda in the back.   
“Isn’t this amazing?” shouted Rose with a loud squeal.   
“The garden is so pretty!” said Helen. “May I paint a picture of it?”   
Dado gasped. “You can paint pictures?”   
The others nodded. “Oh yes,” said Bret, “she managed to tame the ocean and make it pose for her!”   
“Oh, Bret! Do stop teasing!” said Helen, her face turning red. But she was pleased with the praise.   
Dado clasped her hands. “Oh, please do paint! Mr. Ferris always wanted some lovely pictures for his house!”   
Helen patted his hand. “I shall do my best to paint something that fits in with your art.”   
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He pressed her hand to his lips before letting it go. He spread his arms. “And now, we should eat!”   
“Why Dado, are you crying?” asked Rose worriedly, noticing the tears coming to the young man’s eyes.   
Dado looked at each person before wiping a tear away. “I, I have never been so happy, and surrounded by such friends!” Ralph stepped forward and pulled him into a tight embrace. Dado sniffled a couple of times into Ralph’s shirt before pulling back and wiped both of his eyes.   
“Thank you,” he whispered hoarsely. Malcolm stepped forward and hugged him as well, patting him on his back.   
“Don’t worry about letting your emotions show, my friend, you have been alone for some time.” Malcolm pulled back and smiled. “And we have had a fairly pleasant trip here. Shall we celebrate our safe arrival with this delicious lunch you have made?”   
Dado grinned, nodding. “Yes!” Then he chuckled. “Though, I did not do all of it myself, I had help.” He indicated Rose, Helen, Bret, and Ralph.   
Margy placed her hands on her hips. “Wait, Rose helped and she didn’t burn the kitchen down?”   
“Hey!” exclaimed Rose. Everyone burst out laughing before sitting down to the delicious meal under the cool shade of the veranda. They swapped stories of good times, though Stanley’s tales of danger on the high seas and Dado’s expeditions with Tom Ferris dominated. They soon learned that Tom Ferris had saved Dado from death at the hands of a lion, the very lion whose pelt now welcomed visitors into the house and whose head was the sole ornament in Dado’s room. Ever since that day, Dado swore loyalty to Tom and Tom taught him many things about English and the white man’s way of life. Dado in turn taught him many things as well as his own native tongue, the language of the Zunan tribe. He tried to teach the group a few words right then and there, but only Rose seemed capable of catching on, though Helen, Margy, and Stanley weren’t far behind.   
“Ah, I see why you like her,” said Dado with a merry twinkle in his eyes. “She smarter than you.”   
Ralph’s face began to redden. “Hey!” Dado laughed before jumping up and leading Ralph on a merry chase around the veranda.   
“My goodness!” said Dorcas with a huff while the others laughed.   
“Oh cut it out, you stupid hyena!” shouted Ralph as he continued to chase the laughing Dado around for a few more minutes. They came back breathless at the end of it, but smiling widely. A few minutes later, everything had been cleaned up and they had retreated into the cooler house as the temperatures began to rise. They chatted some more about happier topics before Malcolm cleared his throat.   
“May I get your attention please?” he said. They were in the sitting room now, and Malcolm had stood up to stand next to the fireplace. Once everyone had quieted down and their eyes were on him did he continue. “I’m glad we’ve all made it safe and sound, but we still have the business of finding the Valley of Diamonds before anyone else does. We apparently have people out to stop us and/or take the map away from us. What they know and how they know it is still a mystery, but we can find that information later once we have laid our claim on the Valley of Diamonds.” Ralph and Stanley nodded. Malcolm turned to Dado. “And I think we’re going to need Tom’s diary to help us find it faster.”   
Dado jumped up. “I’ll go get it!”   
Malcolm smiled. “Thank you.” Dado dashed out of the room and up the stairs. “Now, while we wait for Dado to come back, we’re going to have to figure out how much we’re going to need to take with us, and, of course, the number of horses to take with us.” He took the map out of his pocket and laid it out on the table. He pointed to one spot. “We are here.” He moved it over a little bit. “And here’s Natal.” He moved his finger to the red X on the map. “And there’s the Valley of Diamonds. According to the measurements on this map, it could take us a couple months at least to get there.”  
“Dad!” Malcolm’s head snapped up at the sound of alarm in his son’s voice. His eyes widened, causing everyone to look at the doorway. There, standing in the doorway, was a huge man, about six foot two. His tawny hair and beard looked like a lion’s mane and his deep brown eyes looked as wild as a lion’s.   
Stanley jumped up, gasping. “No way!”   
“D-Dad, Dad, that’s, that’s . . .”   
The three of them said the next two words in unison. “Tom Ferris!”


	8. Tales and Supplies

Malcolm stepped towards the big man with uncertainty. “T-Tom?”   
“Well I’m certainly no ghost,” he said with a booming laugh.   
“Mr. Ferris!” cried out Dado. He practically leapt down the stairs into Tom Ferris’s arms.   
“Dado! It’s good to see you!” said Tom, returning the hug.   
“But, but we were told you were dead!” exclaimed Stanley.   
“And there were witnesses!” exclaimed Ralph.   
Malcolm’s forehead furrowed. “And if you’re really alive, could Ned Blythe be alive as well?”   
Tom looked at him and blinked. “Well of course he is, man, I faked my own death so he could witness it.”   
‘B-but he supposedly died in the same accident as you did!” exclaimed Ralph, his eyes widening even more.   
Tom looked at him in shock, then glanced at Malcolm for confirmation. Malcolm nodded. “Yes, that was the story, Tom, that he died in the same accident that you did.”   
Tom glanced between the two Edwards’s. “But, how? I planned it perfectly so he could see!”   
Malcolm shrugged. “I don’t know, but he wasn’t one of the witnesses, he was counted as dead, supposedly in the same explosion.”   
Tom let out a low growl. “Why that rotten scum!”   
Dorcas gasped. “Watch your language! There are ladies present!”   
“Oh I am, ma’am, that’s the worst I could say in the presence of ladies,” said Tom as his eyebrows knitted together.   
“On that note, why are you here?” asked Malcolm.   
Tom sighed. “For several reasons, but the main ones are these.” He waved to someone just out of sight. Dado gasped, right before a pregnant woman with a young boy and a man stepped into the room. “This is my wife, Thadie and our son, Dado.” Tom shot a grin to Dado as he gasped.   
“You named him after me?” asked Dado excitedly.   
Tom nodded. “Yes, I thought it appropriate. But Thadie named the next child, and she thinks it’s a girl, so it shall be Amahle.”  
“Oh, that’s a lovely name!” said Rose.   
“Thank you,” said Thadie with a smile.   
“But who’s he?” asked Dorcas as she pointed at the last member of Tom’s party. He had darker skin than Dado and Thadie, and held himself in a different way than the other two. He also seemed sadder.   
Tom rose from the floor and placed his hand on the man’s shoulder. “This is Monako, he needed a place to stay, so I brought him here. He is a very trustworthy chap, he has helped me and my wife many times, so I felt this was our way of returning the favor.” He glanced at Malcolm. “But I had no idea you were going to be here, otherwise I would have just sent in Monako.”   
Malcolm sighed. “Of course. Well, you caught us in the middle of our planning for the expedition to the Valley of Diamonds.”   
Tom’s eyebrow went up as he stepped towards the coffee table. “Really? And you dragged in all these wonderful people? Well, except for Stanley, I know he’s been itching to go.” He held out his hand. “How you been, Stan?”   
Stan shook his hand heartedly. “Very well sir, thank you. Even better now knowing you are alive and well.”   
Tom chuckled. “Of course you are." Malcolm then introduced everyone else in the group and explained his reasoning for including them. Bret and Jimmy because of their youth, strength, and vitality, the Bythe sisters, who were not related to Ned Blythe, because of their attention to detail and resourcefulness, and Dorcas Pepper because of her relationship to Rex Pepper and to act as chaperone for the girls.   
Tom nodded with approval. But his eyes glanced between Rose and Ralph before looking at Malcolm with knowing amusement. Malcolm merely nodded. Tom turned to Dado. “And you were getting my journal to help with that, huh?”  
Dado nodded. “Yes!” He came forward and placed the journal on the table. “I was not sure if I could read it, but now that you are here, and alive, I don’t mind at all!”   
Tom patted Dado’s back. “That was the other reason why I was coming here, to let you know that I was alive and well.” He picked up the journal and flipped through it. “Yet, since I am here now, I can give you a bit of help with this.” He paused and held up his finger. “But not one word of my being alive leaves this room, understand?” The others nodded firmly. “I did not put in this much work to protect my family from Ned Blythe only to get it destroyed. Unless, of course, you are able to confirm that Ned is dead. But I know for a certain fact he is still very much alive.” He glanced sadly at Malcolm. “I’m sorry he made you all believe that he was dead. I’m afraid that since you didn’t know he was alive, it’s put your lives in grave danger. While I commend you for going for the Valley of Diamonds, I recommend that you watch your step very, very carefully from here on out. The predators of Africa are wild and dangerous, but I’d rather meet a black mamba than Ned Blythe.”   
A shiver went up Rose’s spine. She wrapped her arms around herself. “This Ned Blythe sounds horrid.”   
“I’m afraid he is,” said Malcolm. “And I’m afraid there’s now a very high chance we might meet him on our trip.” He glanced at Tom. “Which I assume can only mean you will not be joining us.”   
Tom nodded and sighed. “Yes, afraid I can’t, I can’t blow this Malcolm, not now.” But a soft twinkle came into his eyes. “But if you are able, I wouldn’t mind it if you laid a claim in my name.”   
Malcolm chuckled. “I shall be sure to do that, now that I know you’re alive.”   
Tom groaned. “Alright, enough already! You can only repeat it so many times before a fellow gets tired of hearing it!”   
Malcolm laughed. “But I’m still confirming it for myself! I am so, so glad that you are, but there’s still a bit of disbelief.”   
Tom let out a booming laugh. “Oh, alright, fair enough. But tone it down just a bit, please.”   
Malcolm chuckled. “I’ll do my best.”   
“Good, because you’re going to have to pretend that I am still dead.”   
Malcolm nodded. “Yes we shall.” He patted Tom’s shoulder. “But I am so glad to see you.”   
“And I you,” said Tom with a big grin. His face began to fall a bit as he turned to the map and the journal. He flipped open the journal to a page. “But I am also glad to be here to help you with decoding this map.”   
Everyone’s ears perked up. “Decoding the map?” asked Ralph, stunned.   
“What do you mean by that?” asked Stanley.   
Tom grinned. “Now now, though I trust you all, you didn’t think I would be that stupid to write a map that anyone could read?” He glanced at Malcolm. “You especially of all people should have known that.”   
Malcolm grinned sheepishly. “And I do, I just wouldn’t have noticed until I read your journal.”   
Tom chuckled. “That is like you too.” He pointed at the journal entry and then at the map. “Now do you see it?”   
Malcolm read over his shoulder and gasped. “Why Thomas Richard Ferris, you are an absolute genius!”   
“Hey man, only my wife can use my full name, and that’s when I’m in trouble!” The two men lifted their heads back and laughed.   
“But what’s the difference?” exclaimed Ralph, itching to know more about the map. “How long is it actually going to take?”   
Tom pointed at the map again, his finger tracing a route. “About a month, give or take the weather . . .” he glanced around at the group, though his eyes lingered specifically on Dorcas “And present company.”   
Dorcas seemed to not notice the look. “Well, that’s better than two months.”   
Margy nodded. “That is better.”  
“But that’s if you keep up a steady pace,” said Tom. “If you linger for too long, it could mean nature will take your life. You have to keep moving.”   
Dorcas nodded, her eyes widening. “Oh, of course!”   
Tom turned to Maclolm and gave him a sly wink. “Good, then I think you should be completely fine. Well, naturewise anyways, Ned Blythe on the other hand, is the real danger. But if you get enough of a head’s start, you should be fine on that front too, Ned was never the greatest in the savannah.”   
“Well then, all we have to do is hurry it up and get the supplies and the animals, and we can be on our way,” said Malcolm.   
“I go too,” said a deep voice. Everyone jumped and turned as one to see that the three Africans had joined them.   
Tom looked at Monako wide-eyed. “What? You go too? Monako, I brought you here to keep you safe!”   
Monako nodded. “I know, and I thank you, but I must go. I have been away for far too long.”   
“But it could mean your life!”   
Monako seemed to straighten up. “Then it will be my life, but I will not have run away anymore.”   
“What’s all this about?” asked Malcolm. “Running away from what?”   
Tom and Monako shared a look before Tom spoke. “That’s Monako’s story to tell, and he’ll tell it to you when he’s ready to tell it. But I can tell you this, Monako is very trustworthy and would be a great help to you on your trip.”   
Malcolm nodded slowly. “I’m glad to hear it.” He turned to Monako. “But why is now a good time to go back to your village?”   
“I needed time to, ah, um . . .” He paused and looked to Tom for help with the English words he was looking for.  
Tom sighed. “He needed time to brace himself for the inevitable.”   
Monako pointed at him and nodded. “Yes, I am ready now.”   
Tom’s eyebrows knitted together in a look of concern. “Are you sure?”   
“Yes,” said Monako with a firm nod. “I must go.”   
“Then I go too!” announced Dado.   
“Dado!”   
“He is fellow Zunan, I will not stay here while he puts his life in danger,” said Dado with a fire in his eyes. He turned to Malcolm and grinned. “Besides, I want to help Mister Malcolm and Master Ralph. I was planning on going anyway so I would not be alone anymore.”   
Tom sighed and patted Dado’s back. “Very well, Dado, very well. Thadie and I will hold the fort here.” He turned to Malcolm. “I mean, Ned’s more likely to be after you than me right now.”   
Malcolm nodded. “Quite right.” He let out a breath and placed his hands on the table, leaning on it as he looked at the map. “I guess now we plan our trip and get moving.”   
Tom nodded as he walked back to the table. “It looks like it.” He glanced around the room with a grin. “Shall we get started then?”   
“When exactly would we leave?” asked Rose.   
“It might take us a week to get everything together,” said Malcolm, “so I suggest you all take this time to rest, you’re going to need it.”   
Everyone did try to the very next day, but only Dorcas seemed capable of resting. The others were too excited about going to the valley of diamonds. Ralph wasn’t helping the situation either by telling everyone about past adventures. Like one time, he and his father had gone to Egypt to help an archaeology excavation since all the people working on the excavation were superstitious. It was speculated that the tomb had some kind of curse, but it was a bunch of hogwash. Nothing happened to Ralph or Malcolm. If others died, it was only because they weren’t taking good care of themselves. Or there was that time in Mexico when they raced against time and against a gang of bandits for a stash of money hidden by a Baron. Or another time when they were in the Caribbean hunting for pirate treasure. Bret, Jimmy, and Rose just ate it all up, their sense of adventure and thrill seeking rose with every story. Helen and Margy seemed immune to it at first, but even they got caught up in the sensational tales and swashbuckling thrills. If Helen and Margy were unsure about the adventure at first, they most certainly were by the middle of the week.   
Meanwhile, Malcolm and Dado went and made all the purchases they were going to need. Tom only orchestrated the whole procedure, making sure they had every necessity while never leaving the manor’s grounds. There were guns, ammo, food that wouldn’t spoil for several months, containers for water, pots, pans, and animals to carry it all, and them.   
When Thursday rolled around, Ralph had just about riled them up to the point that they were ready to leave that very moment. Bret and Jimmy in fact went to Malcolm to see if he needed any help with anything.   
He just shook his head. “No boys, normally I would, but not this time. At least, not to come with me. Tom I’m sure has a few things you could do though.”   
Tom did have something for them to do, for all of them. He set them out to learn about camping in the savannahs. Monako was their teacher, and he not only taught them how to cook over a campfire, but also what food could be harvested from the wild, especially how to differentiate between the poisonous and the edible. They learned how to track, how to search for water sources, and how to recognize the signs of a nearby predator. It quite wasn’t what they had in mind, but it filled up the rest of the days at the manor and they went to bed tired but more excited for the beginning of their trip.   
Finally the day arrived, and Tom had everyone helping get the supplies on the horses and get them saddled. Finally, about midmorning, they were ready to go. Stanley, Dado, and Jimmy took charge of the supply horses. Margy and Rose would take turns fanning Dorcas in the heat, while Malcolm and Monako would be in the lead. That left Helen, Bret, and Ralph to help wherever they were needed. Tom and his family stood in the doorway of the manor once they were all settled.   
“Well Tom, we’re finally ready,” said Malcolm.   
Tom nodded with a soft chuckle. “Yeah, I could tell, I double checked everything for you.”   
“Thanks.”   
“No, thank you. And the best of luck to you all.”   
Malcolm tipped his hat. “Thanks, I think we’re going to need it. Let’s go.” They waved and shouted goodbye to the Ferrises as they rose out. Dado paused to close the gate, but then, they were finally on their way, to adventure, danger, and eventually, treasure.


	9. The Easy Part

The first few days were rough going, mainly because they had to find a rhythm that worked for them. The other thing was the fair distribution of the chores. Malcolm thought it more fair that everyone take turns handling the chores. Dorcas was opposed to this, she only wanted to do one job, or at least a couple of jobs, namely gathering firewood and cooking. She had barely any control over the horses and could barely put up the tents. Plus she refused to clean up and keep watch. The others were more willing to be flexible, thankfully, and they eventually did come up with a plan. There would still be people taking turns, but Dorcas was in charge of cooking and firewood.   
By the first full week out, they were starting to get the hang of things and made some progress. But as with everything, when one problem is solved, another rears its ugly head.   
“This heat is simply unbearable!” Dorcas exclaimed as she wiped her brow with her handkerchief yet again. She waved her hand to swat at a fly buzzing around her head. She glanced at Monako and Dado who were riding in the front with Malcolm. “How can you two stand it?”   
“We’ve lived here all our lives,” quipped Dado. “How could we not?”   
Ralph began snickering. “Ralph,” warned his father. Ralph stopped, but he was still grinning from ear to ear.   
“Is there any way we can stop real quick?” asked Dorcas.   
Malcolm glanced at her. “For what?”   
“T get the fans out of the supplies,” said Dorcas matter-of-factly.   
Malcolm raised an eyebrow. “You mean you couldn’t have done that earlier?”   
Dorcas shrugged. “I thought today was going to be like last week, a lot more bearable.”   
Dado shook his head. “It’s going to get hotter for a bit and stay that way until the rainy season.”   
Dorcas’s eyes widened. “Oh! Then we had better get those fans out for sure! We’ll die from the heat!”   
“Oh we’ll make it to the Zunan village before that happens,” said Malcolm. Dorcas glared at him while he merely grinned. “But we may pause for a bit to allow the ladies to retrieve the fans.” He called the halt and everyone stopped. Dorcas grunted as she got down and walked towards the two horses that carried all the supplies. The Blythes joined her and helped her get out all four fans. Each of the ladies took a fan back to her horse and once they were back in the saddles, the group was moving again. Each of them began fanning themselves, and the others.   
“Oh man, that does feel good,” said Bret as the slight breeze made by Helen’s fan hit his face.   
“This was a great idea to get them out now. Looks like we’ll make an adventurer of you yet,” Malcolm told Dorcas with a grin. She merely humphed, but looked pleased at the praise. They rode for several miles more before making camp for the night. With everyone working quickly, they got the camp set up in no time. After they had finished off their meal with cans of fruit, Malcolm took out the map. He peered at it and rubbed his chin. “Ralph, go check the water please.”   
Ralph jumped up. “Yes sir!” He rushed to the horses and came back with the report. “We’ve got enough for everyone for three days.”   
“Three days!” exclaimed Dorcas. “We’re going to die of thirst!”   
“No we’re not,” said Malcolm. “We’re going to run into a stream before that happens.”   
Monako nodded. “Yes, I know this stream. The water is very good.” His face burst into a grin. “Perhaps we may even catch wild pig for dinner.”   
Ralph rubbed his chest. “Mmm, a plump, juicy warthog turning over the fire . . . man, I just ate and I’m hungry again!”   
Stanley whacked his shoulder. “You’re always hungry.”   
“Am not!” retorted Ralph. The others laughed.   
“Point is, we’ll be reaching the stream right as we’re running out of water.” He folded up the map and put it back into his shirt pocket. “We might be cutting it close, but we’re going to make it.”  
“Is there any chance we’ll be able to bathe?” asked Dorcas.   
“And do some laundry?” asked Margy.   
“I don’t know about bathing. I would prefer more tree coverage, if you catch my drift,” said Malcolm.   
Dorcas nodded. “Duly noted.”   
“As for laundry, yes, we should definitely do that, provided it doesn’t take too much time out of our day,” he continued. “I suggest we all pitch in to help.” he stroked his chin as he glanced around the group. “Maybe Helen, Margy, Bret, and . . .”   
Dorcas interrupted him. “We women will do the washing.”   
Malcolm raised an eyebrow. “Um, but . . .”   
“We four shall do the washing, and you men can hang them up and put away the dry ones.”   
“Are you sure?”   
Dorcas eyed him. “Absolutely.”   
“But why?” asked Bret. “We wouldn’t mind helping you wash . . .”  
Drocas held up her hand. “That’s not an issue for you to worry about until you’re married, young man. Once you are, then you’ll find out why. This is something we have to do.”   
Malcolm’s eyes widened. “Oh, oh I see.”   
“What?” chorused the boys, even Stanley, Dado, and Monako looked to Malcolm for an answer.   
“Like Miss Pepper said, boys, it’s something you’ll find out when you’re married.”   
“Is it bad?” asked Ralph.   
“It depends,” mumbled Rose.   
“Sh!” hissed Margy.  
Malcolm, though, shook his head. “There is no good or evil in nature, son, it’s just nature and has to follow its cycles. This is natural as well and every woman deals with it.”   
Ralph blinked. “Really? Even Mom?”   
Malcolm smirked. “Who do you think told me all about it?”   
“Oh.” Ralph glanced slyly at his father. “And you won’t tell us?”   
Malcolm shook his head. “Nope, I can’t. Like Monako with his story, they will tell you when they’re ready.”   
Ralph huffed and crossed his arms. “Oh, fine.” He knew better than to goad his father. Once Malcolm’s mind was made up, there was no going back. And since Ralph made no further attempt to get the information, the others left it alone as well. Monako, however, turned to the girls with a knowing smile and gave a slight bow of his head.  
“Now that that’s over, I suggest we turn in for the night,” said Malcolm as he stood up and stretched. “And that we ration the water as best as possible, just in case. Stanley, Jimmy, it’s your turn for the first watch.”   
The two nodded. “Yes sir!”   
“Good night!” chorused several voices as the others crawled into the tents and fell fast asleep.   
The next three days passed by rather quickly, but they had not arrived at the river by the end of the third day.   
“I thought you said we were going to be there by now!” said Dorcas as they were setting up the camp. “We’re almost out of water!”   
“I know, Miss Pepper, I know. We should find it tomorrow then.”   
Dorcas sat down and humphed, crossing her arms. “We’d better, or we’re all going to die!” The mood at the camp that night was solemn and broody. They all understood the dire situation if they didn’t reach that river the next day. Malcolm studied the map in silence, his brow furrowed in deep, worried thought. Had he read the map wrong? He and Ralph had the first watch that night. As such, he continued to study the map long after everyone had fallen asleep. Ralph had gone to get some wood to keep the fire going through the night, and when he came back, his father was still hunched over the map.   
“Dad?”   
Malcolm glanced up and smiled warmly at his son. “Yes Ralph?”   
“We’ll get to the river tomorrow,” said Ralph matter-of-factly. “You might have miscalculated how far we’ve traveled.”   
Malcolm let out a sigh. “That might be it. It’s just . . .”   
Ralph sat down next to him. “Thinking about Mom?”   
Malcolm let out a soft chuckle. “She and Rose would get along so well.”   
Ralph scoffed. “Are you kidding? They could have been two peas in a pod.”   
Malcolm chuckled. “This apple really didn’t fall far from the tree, huh?” He ruffled his son’s hair.   
Ralph snorted. “You’re the tree, you’re the one who dropped me. Couldn’t exactly travel far on my own.”   
Malcolm laughed. “No, no it did not.”   
“Dad?”   
“Yes?”   
“Are you, um, are you ready to tell me about Mom?” Malcolm’s head snapped up and looked at Ralph, surprise and sorrow filling his eyes. “We, um, we haven’t had a chance to talk alone about it, and I’ve been thinking about these past few days since, you know, since that whole thing about the girls and Monako telling us when they’re ready? I mean, if, if you’re not ready yet, that’s fine, I just . . . I just want to know, Dad.”   
Malcolm paced a hand on Ralph’s shoulder. “I know, son, and you deserve to know. But I’m not ready to tell you about it, not, not yet. I need a bit more time. Besides, neither of us really should be thinking about that right now. We have nine people who depend on us, well, technically seven, Dado and Monako can handle themselves, but they need our help to take care of the others. We can’t have any distractions, and I fear this might become one. We need our heads clear to find the river. Ask me again once this trip is over, alright? I might be ready then.”   
Ralph sighed, but he nodded. “I understand, and I will.”   
Malcolm pulled Ralph into a hug. “Thank you for understanding and for waiting.”   
“You’re welcome. It’s just, you promised to tell me . . .”   
“One day, Ralph, one day, and today just isn’t that day. But I have a feeling it’s coming soon, don’t worry. I just need you to wait a little longer, alright?”   
Ralph nodded. “Alright.” He hugged Malcolm. “I love you, Dad.”   
Malcolm returned the hug. “I love you too, son.”   
The next day, it happened, they ran out of water by midmorning.   
“Well that’s it, we’re dead,” quipped Dorcas when Ralph let Rose have the last few drops.   
“Nonsense,” said Malcolm, “we have the rest of the day to find the river.”   
“We are close,” said Monako with a twinkle in his eyes, “very, very close.”   
“Do you think we’ll get to it by tonight?” asked Margy.   
Monako nodded. “Oh yes, for sure.”   
“That’s good enough for me,” said Helen.   
“Can’t we make the horses go faster so that we can get there sooner?” asked Dorcas.   
Dado shot her a grin. “No need, horses can smell the water. They go faster once we get closer.”   
Malcolm nodded. “Dado’s right, the horses will definitely let us know when we’re close enough. For now, let’s use those fans. Keeping ourselves and the horses cool is the key.” The others nodded and took turns waving the fans.   
The sun was just beginning to set when Stanley let out a yell. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but, water-ho! Starboard!” The next second the horses seemed to notice, and they went off at a quick gallop. There, just a few feet ahead, was the river they had been looking for. Everyone whooped and cheered as they neared the liquid diamonds. They got the horses to stand in a line to drink from the river before dipping their heads in the water. When everyone had drunk their fill, they turned to filling the water containers and setting up camp. There were a couple of nearby trees that were made into a clothesline using some rope. The women tended to the washing and called to the boys when a pile was ready to be hung. But soon it had to stop as the sun dipped past the horizon.   
“See, told you,” said Monako with a broad grin as they gathered for supper.   
Malcolm laughed. “So you did. And I’m thankful for it.”   
“How much further to the valley?” asked Dorcas before taking a bite of food.   
Malcolm tsked as he pulled out the map. “Rather impatient, aren’t we? Can’t wait to see the valley for yourself?”   
Dorcas scoffed. “Just can’t wait for this to be over with and I can return to the comforts of my home.”   
“I kind of do too,” said Margy, “but not quite yet. I want to enjoy this a little longer.”   
“Yay!” said Rose with a squeal as she hugged her sister tightly. “I knew you were going to like this.”   
Helen laughed. “I think Mr. Edwards knew we all would, just another reason why he chose us. Right?” Malcolm only grinned and winked.   
“But really,” said Dorcas, slightly irritated, “how much further?”   
Malcolm chuckled. “Give me a second.” He opened the map and eyed it. “Hmm . . .”   
“What?” asked Bret as he and Jimmy tried to look over his shoulder. Malcolm looked to the north.   
“There’s a water hole close by here, Monako?”   
Monako nodded. “Yes, not very far at all. And lots of trees, provide plenty of cool shade, we just would have to be careful of snakes and leopards.”   
The girls shivered. “Ooh, sounds like we’re getting to the hardest part of this trip,” said Margy.   
“We haven’t come across very many problems so far,” said Helen, “I do hope that lasts.”   
“Oh I don’t think that will be the case. Being this close to a water hole, where loads of animals go to drink and predators go to find food, well, we should continue on from here on with more caution, and more people on watch. We might not have to worry about it tonight, but it’s something we’re going to have to do going forward.”   
Dorcas crossed her arms. “This just keeps getting better and better.”   
“Well of course it does,” quipped Ralph playfully, “it’s an adventure!” The others laughed.   
“Ralph, if you didn’t like being teased on your first adventure, then don’t tease Miss Pepper, it’s not very fair,” said Malcolm with a warning note to his voice, even though his eyes were sparkling with laughter.   
Ralph turned to his father and grinned. “Yes sir!”   
“Good, now let’s get some shut-eye. We’ve had a busy day, and I think tomorrow will be equally as busy. We’re getting closer to our destination, and it looks like we’re doing superbly well. We might in fact get there early! If my calculations are correct.”   
The others cheered. “I can’t wait!” said Jimmy, grinning from ear to ear.   
“Neither can I!” said Bret with an equally as wide grin.   
“Oh thank the Lord,” said Dorcas with a sigh of relief.   
“But sleep first, good night. Monako and I have first watch.”   
“Good night!” the others chorused as everyone but Malcolm and Monako crawled into the tents.


	10. The Water Hole

Everyone got up bright and early the next day and ate breakfast quickly.   
“Should we try to get the rest of the laundry done?” asked Bret.   
Malcolm pulled out the map again and looked at it thoughtfully. “Well . . .”  
Dorcas waved her hand, “I think we’ll be good for now,” she said, glancing at the make-shift clothesline. “We do need to pick everything up.”   
Malcolm nodded. “Yes, we should.” He turned to Monako. “How long do you think it will take us to get to the water hole?”   
Monako stood up and glanced to the north. He squinted and stood there a moment before turning to Malcolm. “We should get there tonight.”   
Malcolm pursed his lips before sighing. “I really don’t want to spend the night there, but we’ve got to start getting you all used to the more dangerous parts of Africa. The last couple of weeks were fairly easy.”   
Monako nodded, grinning. “Yes, very happy it was.”   
Dado raised his hand. “And Miss Helen has not had time to paint anything for the manor!”   
Malcolm laughed. “Yes, Dado, alright. Let’s pack up and head for the water hole. If we get there early enough, Miss Helen can paint a picture or two.”   
Dado jumped up. “Yes! May I help her?”   
Malcolm looked to Helen. “Is that alright with you?”   
Helen shrugged. “It’s fine by me, the more help getting my art supplies out the faster I can paint.”   
Malcolm nodded. “Then Dado and Bret will help you handle that, the rest of us can take care of the camp and supper.”   
“Sounds like a plan,” said Stanley as he stood up. “But first, we need to break camp.”   
Malcolm laughed. “Duly noted, Stan. Let’s get moving.” They quickly broke the camp before packing the laundry. That took a little longer as each person checked the clothes for bugs and snakes before it was packed, but eventually it was done and they were on their way.   
With the river at their side and the approaching green vegetation on the veldt, their spirits seemed to rise with every step. Not only that, but it seemed like they were walking into another world. The dusty plains were getting further and further behind them as they were crossing the line into lush, green jungle.   
“How much further?” asked Helen. “I can’t wait until we stop so I can paint!”   
Dado grinned at her. “See? Think this a good place to paint for the manor?”   
Helen nodded vigorously. “Oh yes, it’s magnificent!”   
“It most certainly is,” said Malcolm. “Each wilderness is so unique, so beautiful . . .”   
“And can be quite deadly,” cut in Ralph.   
“Ralph,” warned Malcolm.   
“What? It’s true!”   
“Yes it is,” said Malcolm, “but we have the means of dealing with that danger.” He sighed. “At least the dangers of nature. The dangers presented by humans . . . that can be a little more tricky.”   
“Well let’s hope we won’t have to deal with that,” said Dorcas.   
“Unfortunately that’s not likely with Ned Blythe out and about,” said Malcolm. “But we should make the most of this time since it has been relatively easy.” He glanced back at the ladies. “I just wish we had more time to train you properly on how to shoot a gun.”   
“Oh shooting a gun isn't the problem,” piped up Bret knowingly, “it’s the aiming you need to practice.”   
“Well, either way, it’s something we’ll work on once this is all over,” said Malcolm. “I’d rest easier knowing you could all use a gun effectively.”   
“Though it is amazing how you didn’t think of that before we started our trip,” said Dorcas with a huff.   
Malcolm chuckled nervously. “Yes, yes, I know, I know, but Ralph and I are on a timetable, even more so now that we know for sure Ned Blythe is still alive.”   
“Why are you on a timetable?” asked Dorcas. “And how come we’re just now hearing about this?”   
“Well, for one, we weren’t quite in a safe place to talk about it,” began Malcolm.   
“We’ve been traveling for more than two weeks now,” retorted Dorcas. “We’ve had plenty of time since we left the manor.”   
Malcolm shrugged. “It didn’t come up.” He grinned apologetically. “I am sorry about that. But since we’re nearing the end of this trip, I shall rectify that upon our return to America and all four of you shall be taught to shoot properly.”   
“Oh good,” said Margy. “That would be a great skill to have.”   
Rose squealed and clapped her hands with the reins between her hands. “That will be awesome!”   
Helen smiled nervously. “If you insist.”   
“I do insist, it’s for your safety.” Malcolm took a hand off his reins and held up a finger. “”And that means you have to learn to keep your guns taken care of as well. There’s a lot to learn about guns than just how to aim and shoot.”   
Bret turned to the girls. “And I am willing to teach you, if you want. My father taught me everything he knew before he passed away.” He huffed. “And I had to stay with my aunt.”   
“But now you’re here with us,” said Jimmy with a friendly pat on his back. “THe past is past.”   
Bret smiled. “Yeah, yeah, this is good.”   
Dorcus let out a huff as she turned back to Malcolm. “You still haven’t told us why you two were on a timetable.”   
“Well, firstly, we couldn’t exactly do this during the rainy season,” stated Malcolm. “We’ll have to deal with the heat, yes, but it’s far better suited to digging than mud is, that I can guarantee.” Dado and Monako bobbed their heads vigorously.   
“Mud is better for plants, not for diamonds,” quipped Dado with a chuckle.   
Malcolm laughed. “That is very true. The other reason was that we knew we were being followed, and now that we know those men were following us at the command of Ned Blythe, well, time is always of the essence when he’s involved. If we can keep even ten minutes ahead of him, we’ll do well.”   
“Ten minutes will do?” exclaimed Dorcas. “How about we make sure we have a full week!”   
Malcolm laughed. “Yes, I would much prefer that. But in order to lay a claim to the valley of diamonds, we need to be there at least ten minutes before him. We will need the permission of the Zuni before we may continue, but yes, ten minutes at least.”   
Dorcas huffed. “Oh, very well.”   
“Speaking of, Dad, isn’t it a custom to give something to the Zuni?” asked Ralph.   
Malcolm nodded. “It is, that’s why we’re bringing silks and pottery.”   
“Who’s the Zuni?” asked Rose.   
“The chief of my people,” said Dado. He glanced at Monako. “Of our people.” Monako gave a slight nod of his head.   
“Oh, so that’s why you two chose what was to be given!” exclaimed Margy.   
Dado turned to face her, a grin on his face. “Oh yes, and I hope, if Miss Helen permits, that we can give him one of her paintings!”   
“The Zuni might not like it,” warned Monako.   
Dado turned to Monako and gave him a huff. “He will, Miss Helen makes beautiful pictures!”   
“Why, thank you, Dado!” said Helen, beaming.   
Dado grinned at her. “Of course!” He turned back to his fellow Zunan. “Monako will like it too, just you wait and see!”   
Monako sighed. “We shall see indeed. Look, we are coming close to the water hole.” The others turned their attention back to the landscape, and gasped in delight. A herd of giraffes walked gracefully towards the water hole while a few zebras on the other side brayed and crowded around the edge of the little pond. An elephant trumpeted as a herd of elephants broke through the underbrush on their way to the water hole. A group of hippopotami were rolling in some mud at the bank while warthogs and impalas drank from the water hole. And that was just from a few miles away, they weren’t very close to the actual water hole itself. Finally, they were within a mile of the hole when Malcolm called a stop. The sun had just begun to drop towards the horizon.   
“This looks like a good place,” said Malcolm as he got off his horse. “What do you think, Monako?”   
Monako also got off his horse, shaded his eyes with his hand, and turned in a circle slowly. He turned to Malcolm when he had finished his circle and nodded. “This is a good place. Very good choice.”   
“Good, thank you, Monako. Let’s put up camp.” Everyone got to work, sans Helen, Bret, and Dado, they were getting out Helen’s art supplies.   
Jimmy and Margy were on firewood duty and set out on Jimmy’s horse.   
“Man, isn’t this just so much fun?” said Jimmy with an excited tone of voice.   
Margy sighed, shaking her head. He’d been asking that since they left Tom Ferris’s manor. “Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. Oh, what I would give for a mattress again!”   
“Oh, I’m sure hay will do just as well,” said Jimmy with a slight chuckle.   
Margy rolled her eyes. “You can be so childish some days.”   
Jimmy pouted. “Am not!”   
“You’re acting like one right now,” said Margy.   
Jimmy scoffed. “How would you know? You’re not much older than I am.”   
“You’re right on that point,” said Margy, “but here’s a little tidbit. Girls mature faster than boys, it’s just a fact.”   
Jimmy scoffed. “Yeah sure, that’s what you think. Care to explain why Ralph seems to be more mature than Rose?”   
“Because Rose really is a baby, she’s only just turned sixteen! Plus, Ralph has traveled and has more experience with the world than she does.”   
Jimmy huffed. “Alright, I’ll give you that. But I am mature, wanting adventure doesn’t make me childish.”   
“Oh I never said wanting adventures is childish, it’s only how you act that makes you seem childish.”   
Jimmy grumbled. “Fine, whatever.”   
“Why don’t we stop here? Looks like there’s plenty of broken branches on the ground.”   
Jimmy huffed. “Fine.” He reined in his horse and the two alighted. As Margy pointed out, there were a lot of branches lying about. They began to gather them up, but Jimmy’s thoughts turned to a different thing. How was he going to prove to Margy that he wasn’t childish and that having fun doesn’t mean being childish?   
Meanwhile, Helen had gotten her easel set up and was painting. Monako, Malcolm, and Stanley were getting up the tents while Ralph and Rose were helping Dorcas get the food prepared for when Margy and Jimmy returned with the firewood. When they were finished, they all sat back and watched Helen paint her first picture of the African veldt. Monako’s eyes widened with every stroke, mesmerized. Dado watched his expression with a grin, knowing that he was becoming more and more impressed the more Helen’s painting took shape.   
Helen’s first painting was simply of the landscape and the setting sun, there were no animals. Everyone clapped and shouted praise at her. She was blushing furiously, but she set her paints down and curtsied gracefully.   
“Thank you,” she said shyly. She turned to Dado. “Do you think this will look good in the manor?”   
Dado bobbed his head. “Oh yes! It will be perfect for the manor! It looks beautiful!” He put extra emphasis on the word beautiful.   
Helen’s face only got redder. “Why, th-thank you!”   
Dado turned to Monako with a cheeky grin. “So, you think the Zuni will like it?”   
Monako nodded as if in a daze. “Yes, yes I think he does.”   
Dado clapped his back. “Good!” He turned to Helen and clasped his hands, looking at her pleadingly. “Can you paint another one for the Zuni please?”   
“I, I shall be honored to!”   
Dado grinned wider. “Great!”   
“Ah, but we don’t have a frame to put it in!” exclaimed Ralph.   
“Oh that’s fine,” said Stanley, “we can fashion one out of the sticks Margy and Jimmy bring.”   
“Speaking of, what’s taking those two so long?” asked Dorcas.   
Rose huffed. “Oh you know how they are. They’ve been bickering ever since we started this trip. They probably got into an argument before finally deciding to work together.”   
Dorcas glanced at Malcolm. He sighed. “Alright, alright, this is their last time gathering firewood together. I’ll assign them new partners. Happy?”   
Dorcas nodded. “Yes, thank you.”   
“It’s still early enough that we don’t need the firewood right away,” pointed out Stanley. “They can take their time.”   
“I certainly hope not,” said Malcolm. “There are predators that can hide in those trees, leopards and snakes mainly.”   
“I’m sure they’ll be careful.”   
“Oh, Mister Malcolm?”   
“Yes Dado?”   
“While we wait, perhaps Monako and I go hunting? We will bring back good meat for supper.”   
Malcolm rubbed his chin. “Well, if you want . . .”   
Dado jumped up. “Yes!”   
“But only something that will feed us tonight, and perhaps tomorrow. We don’t have the means nor the time to properly dry out the meat so it will last several days.”   
Dado bobbed his head. “Right.” He turned to Monako who was slowly rising, still watching Helen’s paintbrush glide over the canvas. “Pig or deer?”   
Monako blinked a moment before turning to Dado and shrugging. “Whatever’s at the hole, I guess.”   
Dado picked up a guy and ammo. “Then let’s go!” But the next second, everyone had frozen. A horse came rushing out from behind the trees towards the camp, wild dogs nipping at its heels.   
Ralph jumped up. “That’s Jimmy’s horse! And those are Cape dogs!”   
Dado aimed his gun and fired a couple of rounds while the others grabbed guns and loaded them. He got two of the dogs closest to the horse. The others turned and dashed away.   
“But where are Jimmy and Margy?” asked Dorcas worriedly. A scream rang out, followed by the sound of gunshots.   
Malcolm leapt onto his horse. “Ralph, Bret! Tether that horse and stay here to guard the camp! Monako, Dado, Stanley, with me!” The other three leapt onto their horses and took off towards the trees. Ralph and Bret managed to grab a hold of the horse’s reins and calmed them down. More gunshots rang out, followed by another scream.   
Helen’s hands flew to her face as tears sprung to her eyes. “Oh Margy, Jimmy!”


	11. A Night with Predators

Malcolm, Stanley, Dado, and Monako spurred on their horses towards the sound of the gunshots. Another volley went off. Listening closely, Monako was able to figure out where they were coming from and led the others in that direction. They burst through the trees, guns blazing. A whole pack of Cape dogs were trying to surround Jimmy and Margy. But after a couple more shots from each of the guns, the pack went scurrying off. The four rescuers approached Jimmy and Margy. Both were breathing hard, eyes wide.   
“Th-thanks a bunch,” said Jimmy, gasping for breath. He returned his gun to its holster. “Sorry, we were taking so long to get firewood, but . . .”   
Malcolm shook his head. “No need to apologise. Let’s just grab what we can and get out of here. We’re going to need as much as possible to keep the fire going tonight if we’re going to keep these dogs and other predators away from the camp.”   
The others nodded. They split up to gather as much wood as possible before making their way back to the camp, Margy sitting behind Malcolm and Stanley taking Jimmy. There was a joyful reunion when they returned to the camp.   
“Oh, thank goodness you’re alright!” exclaimed Helen with teary eyes as she and Rose hugged Margy. “We were so worried!”   
“So was I!” admitted Margy. She smiled at Malcolm, Stanley, Monako, and Dado as they set up a pile of the extra firewood. “But we got a timely rescue.” Dado grinned at her.   
Ralph and Bret hovered around Jimmy. “Are you going to be alright?” asked Ralph.   
Jimmy nodded as he sat down. “Yeah, I will be, just give me a moment to breathe. That was wild!”   
Ralph patted his back. “Well, consider this your official welcome to the savannah.”   
“Thanks,” mumbled Jimmy.   
“In light of what has just occurred,” said Malcolm as the four joined the others at the roaring fire, “I suggest Margy and Jimmy get as much sleep as possible. After what you’ve just been through, you’re going to need it.”   
Jimmy smiled. “Thank you, sir.”   
“Yes, thank you so much,” said Margy.   
Malcolm huffed. “Thank me once you’ve had a full night’s rest. Those dogs may come back tonight. And there are other predators about. There are plenty of game animals about still, this is where they will hunt and get their water. We’re not completely out of danger just yet. We might have to fire a few shots into the night to let the predators know we’re still here and we mean business.” He shook his head. “It might not be as restful a night as you might like.”   
“I’ll take what I can, sir,” said Jimmy. “I’m still shaken up by the whole thing.”   
“Which is totally understandable,” said Malcolm, “the first time always does that to you. Unfortunately, it’s going to take a while before it gets any easier to handle.” He chuckled nervously. “I’m kind of shaken up by it myself, to be honest.” He nodded at the Africans. “I think Dado and Monako are less so because this is their home, they grew up used to it.”   
Dado frowned. “Used to dealing with wild animals, yes. Used to losing friends? No, I do not want to go through that again.”   
Malcolm patted his back. “Ah, I’m sorry my friend, I did not take that into consideration. You are right, I think we were all shaken up by the fact that we could have lost Jimmy and Margy.” He let out a breath. “And I think it’s time to change the order of the chores. Only people with guns will go get the firewood.” He sighed and shook his head. “And now I’m really regretting not having the time beforehand to teach you ladies how to handle a gun. Having everyone equipped would make this so much easier.”   
Margy stood up. “Well, there’s no time like the present. We have a few minutes of sunlight left. Why not teach us now?”   
Malcolm’s lips pursed into a thin line. “My only concern is how much ammo we have. We need to be sure we have enough to handle all dangers that may come our way. I don’t want to waste any bullets, even for such a good cause as teaching you how to shoot.”   
“But Dad, why can’t we show them how to clean and load a gun first? Then we teach them the different parts of a gun. They don’t have to fire one just yet,” suggested Ralph.   
Malcolm’s eyes widened, impressed. “That’s a good idea, son! We’ll do that! Alright ladies, first lesson in guns coming right up!”   
Dorcas sniffed. “You can count me out of it. Besides, dinner has to be made.”   
Ralph blinked at her. “Uh, weren’t you the one wondering why Dad didn’t think of it earlier?”   
Dorcas scoffed. “I never mentioned actually wanting to learn.”   
Ralph rolled his eyes. “Go figure.”   
“Ralph, be nice,” said Malcolm. He turned to Dorcas. “Very well, I won’t pressure you to learn, if you don’t want to. And thank you for tending to dinner.”   
Dorcas sniffed. “Someone has to, or you’d all be skeletons by now, so focused on everything else but food.”   
Malcolm chuckled. “I’m sure we would have managed.” He turned back to the girls. “Well, shall we begin?”   
“Yes!” said Rose, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. But Ralph beamed at her.   
“If you don’t mind, Mr. Edwards, I’ll help Miss Pepper with the food,” said Jimmy.   
Malcolm nodded. “Sounds fine by me.” He led the Blythes, Ralph, and Bret a little bit ways from the camp. Dado and Monako followed out of curiosity. Malcolm took to teaching Margy, Ralph taught Rose, and Bret taught Helen. Dado offered some input, while Monako watched in silence. When they returned to the campfire, the girls had a basic understanding of the way guns worked.   
“This is kind of exciting!” said Rose as they ate. “I’m beginning to feel like a real adventurer!”  
“You mean you weren’t before?” asked Margy.   
“Well, yes,” said Rose, “but even more so now.” She grinned. Margy rolled her eyes.  
Malcolm chuckled. “Well, when this is all over, you won't feel like an adventurer, you’ll really be one!”   
Rose squealed and clapped her hands. “Can't wait for that!”   
Dorcas huffed. “And then you'll find out adventuring isn't your thing and should leave it alone.”   
Rose wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “I don't think so.”   
“I don't think so either,” said Margy.  
“I'm just glad to be seeing so many beautiful places,” said Helen.   
“Oh!” exclaimed Dado. “You did not get to paint a picture for the Zuni!”   
Malcolm waved his hand. “Don't worry my friend, we’ll give her time to do it in the morning.”   
Dado grinned. “That's a good idea.” He glanced at Monako. “Maybe sunrise work better for Zuni than sunset. Right?”   
Monako nodded slowly. “Yes, yes, I think so.” Everyone became quiet and the happy mood evaporated as howls echoed in the growing shadows of the night.   
Malcolm cleared his throat. “I think that's our cue to be on our guard. Let's clean up real quick and secure our camp as best as possible.” The others nodded solemnly and went about their work quickly and as quietly as they could. When they were finished, they huddled around the fire. “Ralph, Stanley, and Bret will have the first watch,” said Malcolm. “The rest of us should get some sleep.”  
“I don't know how you expect us to get any sleep with all that racket,” mumbled Dorcas as more howls could be heard in the distance.   
“I expect you to try,” said Malcolm.   
“May I stay up and stand guard with them?” asked Rose. “I'm far too excited to sleep.”   
“I know I can get some sleep,” said Jimmy, right before he yawned. “I'm going to bed. Good night.” He crawled into a tent.  
“I will try,” said Margy.   
“So will I,” said Helen.   
“Thank you,” said Malcolm. “That's all I ask of you.” He turned to Rose and sighed. “Alright, an extra pair of eyes will be very helpful. Good night.” The others said their good night's as well. Dorcas grumbled her way into her tent, but before long, everyone but Rose, Ralph, Bret, and Stanley were sound asleep. The four heard more howls, but they seemed to be moving away.   
“I hope that means they won't head this way at all tonight,” said Stanley, shooting a glance at the agitated horses.   
Bret nodded. “I hope so too.”   
“So do I,” said Ralph, “but we have the rest of the night to worry about. Let's not make that assumption too soon.”   
Rose scooted a little closer to Ralph. “You think they might try to come this way?”   
“They will have to come to the water hole for food and drink.” He shrugged. “I don't know if they'll try coming near the camp or not. That's why we have to keep an extra sharp eye out tonight. Who knows what they’ll do.”  
Stanley nodded. “Well said.” The four lapsed into silence. Howls startled them. All four peered into the darkness surrounding the camp. Rose scooted even closer to Ralph. He placed an arm around her shoulder.   
“I’ll protect you,” he whispered in her ear.   
She smiled softly. “Thank you.” She leaned her head on his shoulder, but her eyes kept darting to the tree line. She couldn't quite make out individual shapes, but she could see something moving back and forth. She leaned forward to try and see it better, when Ralph nearly pushed her to the ground.  
“Yow!” he screamed. Rose jumped to the side and screamed as well. Everyone else came crawling out of the tents.   
“What's going on?” Malcolm exclaimed. There was a brief moment of silence before Stanley burst out laughing.   
“That was an owl, Ralph! He must have thought you were a tree!” Stanley fell over, laughing hard. Bret burst out laughing as well and fell over. He and Stanley were rolling on the ground in uncontrollable fits of laughter. Jimmy began snickering too.   
“Really?” he asked. “That was it?”   
Ralph's face turned bright red. “Well how was I supposed to know? It hit me from behind!” He rubbed the back of his head.  
Rose giggled. “Don't be ashamed. You make a handsome tree.” She kissed his cheek. “She must have thought you were comfortable. I was leaning on you after all.” That made Ralph’s face go even redder.   
Malcolm laughed. “Well, next time, wake us up when there’s real danger nearby, please? Not a sitting arrangement.” Bret and Stanley roared with laughter. Jimmy laughed, but was interrupted by a yawn. Malcolm chuckled. “And I agree, everyone else should get back to bed. We’ve got a long ride tomorrow.”   
“Ugh,” mumbled Dorcas before crawling back into her tent. The others followed suit. Bret and Stanley finally calmed down, and the night became still yet again, only filled with the sound of insects. There seemed to be a few howls, but they sounded so far away that it didn’t bother anyone. Bret, Stanley, Ralph, and Rose seemed to stay up almost all night. It wasn’t until Rose’s eyes began to droop that Stanley made the executive order to wake up Malcolm, Dado, and Monako to take over. The four crawled into their tents. Ralph growled at Stanley and Bret, who were still chuckling about the owl. But eventually, the four were sound asleep.


	12. Master of the Jungle

The four slept soundly all night long. They didn’t wake until the sun came up over the horizon and the morning rays seeped into their tents. They rolled out, rubbing their eyes. They saw that everyone else was up and about, Helen was hard at work on another painting, Dorcas was busy fanning herself, Margy was tending to the fire, and Jimmy and Malcolm were tending to the horses.  
Rose gasped. “Why, Helen, it’s lovely!”   
Helen paused in her work to give her younger sister a smile. “Thank you, but it’s not finished yet.”   
“Well, it’s looking like it will be lovely when it’s finished,” said Bret.   
Helen glanced down as she blushed slightly. “Thank you. I hope so. And I hope the Zuni will like it.”   
Margy chuckled. “Dado seems positively sure of it.”   
Ralph turned his head. “Speaking of, where are Dado and Monako?”   
His father let out a grunt as he came back from one of the pack horses with the makings for breakfast. Jimmy handed a couple items to Margy. “They went off in search for hogs,” said Malcolm. “They wanted to treat us to an old fashioned African meal.”   
“Mmm,” said Stanley, licking his lips, “sounds like a treat.”  
Ralph grinned. “You have no idea.” A loud crack was heard in the distance, followed by an equally loud whoop.  
Malcolm chuckled. “Sounds like they have achieved their goal.” He turned to Ralph. “Since you slept in, how about you lead the cleaning process?”  
Ralph pouted. “But you let us sleep in!” Then a grin spread on his face. “Yes, yes, I will.”   
Malcolm chuckled. “Thank you.”   
“I do hope you stay away from the fire with your cleaning,” muttered Dorcas. “It smells enough as it is.”   
“May I help?” asked Rose.   
Dorcas gasped, sitting up straight. “That’s no job for a lady!”   
“Well then, good thing I’m not a lady,” said Rose with a huff and a toss of her pretty head. Ralph snorted while Dorcas’s mouth dropped.   
Malcolm’s eyes twinkled merrily. “I think it’s a good idea for you to learn some skills in survival. I know Monako taught you a few things before we left the mansion, but it’s always a good idea to be able to put some of that into practice.”   
Dorcas looked at him in horror. “This is absurd!”   
Malcolm raised a hand. “We are out in the wilderness where men and women have learned how to survive on their own. These skills will be quite useful.” Dorcas humphed before standing up and walking away. Malcolm chuckled slightly before turning to Margy and Jimmy. “Would you like to learn as well?”   
Margy wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know.”   
Jimmy grinned. “I definitely would!”   
“Wonderful! And you don’t have to if you don’t want to, Margy. You can just observe for a bit before making your decision.” Malcolm glanced at Helen. “And I would ask your sister Helen, but she’s already elbow-deep in her own work.”   
Helen paused in her painting to shoot Malcolm a smile. “Thanks, but I wouldn’t want to learn.”   
Malcolm nodded. “Fair enough.”   
Ralph let out a whoop. Dado and Monako were returning from their hunt with a rather large warthog. “All hail the mighty hunters!”   
Dado grinned. “Thank you very much! We shall skin it by the water hole, make cleaning easier.”   
Malcolm nodded. “Good idea. But, if you don’t mind, I was asking Ralph to be in charge of that since they just woke up. Bret, Stanley, Jimmy, and Rose wanted to help.”   
Dado pouted. “Hmm, I don’t know. That might take us too long.”   
Malcolm shrugged. “You figure out what you want to do. I think they should at least observe.”  
Dado nodded. “Alright.” He waved to the group. “Come follow us!” The five dashed after them, Stanley, Ralph, and Bret helping to carry the hog to the shore of the water hole with Rose and Jimmy trailing behind.   
Between the seven, they cleaned up the hog quite nicely. Dado explained that they leave the remnants for the dogs and the vultures to take care of, as they normally would for a lion. But Ralph’s attention was more focused on Monako. He had been quiet the whole time and seemed to be thinking about something. Ralph was becoming more and more curious to find out what it was. But he held his peace as they walked back to the campsite with the meat.  
Dorcas wrinkled her nose at the freshly cut meat. “And how exactly are we supposed to carry this meat without attracting every predator between here and the village?”   
Malcolm smiled. “Well, considering how much of it there is and how many of us are here, I’m expecting it to be all eaten by tomorrow night. Provided we eat it for lunch too.” y think we were going to eat it raw?”   
Dorcas looked at him. “Are we to eat it raw?”   
Malcolm laughed. “Oh, goodness, no! We’ll cook it all and dry it out for a bit before we leave. My goodness, did you really think we were going to eat it raw?”  
Dorcas huffed and rolled her eyes. “And what else is supposed to go with this meat?”   
Dado chuckled. “Whatever we can find that’s edible in the forest.”   
“Oh dear,” mumbled Dorcas.   
“What? It’s good,” said Ralph before putting some breakfast in his mouth.   
“Hey, do you hear that?” asked Rose. Everyone went silent as what sounded like rumbling thunder echoed through the air. Dado and Monako stood up quickly, followed by Ralph and Malcolm.  
“It almost sounds like thunder,” said Margy. She glanced at the sky. “But I don’t see any clouds.”   
Dado turned a grim face to his companions. “That wasn’t thunder, Miss Margy, that was a lion we heard.”   
“How far away do you think it is?” asked Ralph. He and his father were already pulling out their guns. They heard the roar again, a little louder this time.   
Monako’s eyes widened as he gasped. “I know what that roar means.” He took off towards the treeline.   
“Wait, Monako!” cried out Malcolm, but Monako didn’t stop. Dado tried to follow, but Malcolm stopped him. “Please stay here with the camp, Ralph and I will follow him.”   
Dado glanced at Monako as he rushed further into the jungle, unsure. But then he turned towards Malcolm with a sigh and nodded. “Please make sure he is alright.”   
Malcolm patted his back. “We will.” He turned to his son. “Ralph, grab the rifle.”   
Rose stood up. “I’m coming too!”   
“Rose!” cried Helen, Margy, and Dorcas at once.   
Malcolm placed a hand on her shoulder. “You would be safer here.”   
“But not you. I can come back here and get you aid if you need it.”   
Malcolm’s lips twitched, but he sighed. “Alright, but you must stick close to Ralph and do exactly as we say, understand?”   
Rose nodded firmly. “Perfectly.”   
“Good, let’s go. We’ll be back as soon as we can, so stay put!” The three dashed off after Monako. They followed his trail through the trees and up to a cave where the lion’s roars grew even louder. This then was the lion’s lair. They caught up to Monako just at the base of the cave.   
“Should we try to ambush him?” whispered Ralph.   
Monako shook his head and pointed. “No, look!” A pack of Cape dogs rushed the cave entrance, but back away just as quickly when the lion roared. “He must be injured, and the dogs know he will tire soon.” A veil of sadness fell over Monako’s face. “A sad fate for a king, to be taken down by his enemies and no friends to help.”   
Ralph stood up. “Well then, shall we be his friends?” Monako looked up at Ralph in surprise. “What? As long as he doesn’t attack us, we should be fine. We were no doubt attacked by this same pack last night. I’m sure our guns will send them running again.”   
Malcolm smiled. “And we really don’t have to go near the cave, we just have to get close enough to shoot at the dogs and scare them away.”   
Monako nodded slowly. “Yes, yes that will work.”   
“Good,” said Ralph as he cocked his gun. “Because I’m getting tired of these dogs.”   
Malcolm nodded. “I agree.” He turned to Rose. “Stay really close.”   
She nodded. “I will.” The four inched closer towards the cave entrance. When the men thought they were in good range, they lifted their guns. The dogs rushed the cave entrance. Rose covered her ears as the men took aim and fired. They sent a few bullets into the midst of the pack, a couple dogs going down. The pack went yipping away deeper into the jungle. They waited a few minutes to be sure the pack would not return. The lion was silent.   
“Alright, I think we’ve done all that we can,” began Malcolm. His eyes widened when he saw Monako make a dash towards the cave. “Monako, wait!” Malcolm dashed after him, followed by Ralph and Rose. Monako went into the cave, but the others paused at it when they got there. There was the lion. Rose gasped at how massive he was. But his eyes never left Monako’s face as he slowly walked towards the massive creature. There was a moment of tense silence as Monako paused in his approach and stared into the lion’s eyes. The lion put down his head, as if trusting the man that now stood before him. Monako knelt and looked at the lion’s front paw.   
“Ah,” he said, “here is the problem.” He moved a bit so the others could see a gash in the lion’s paw.   
Rose gasped with sympathy for the large creature. “Oh, the poor thing!”   
“Rose!” hissed Ralph. Without thinking, she had walked forward, knelt down, and ripped some fabric off her shirt. The lion’s head only came up for a moment, but laid it back down as Rose and Monako tended to his paw.   
“There, I think that should do it.”   
“And that is all we can do for now,” said Malcolm. Rose and Monako turned to him, he did not look happy. “Let’s head back to camp.” Rose and Monako rose and followed Ralph and Malcolm out of the cave and back to camp. Dado was beaming with relief and joy when he saw them returning to camp unharmed. Dorcas, however, was complaining about the state of Rose’s shirt. They recounted the whole incident.   
Dorcas gasped as she looked at Rose with reproach. “How could you do such a thing! Not only did you put yourself in unnecessary danger by marching right up to a lion’s mouth, you also ruined a perfectly good shirt!”   
Rose humphed. “The lion needed it more than me.”   
Margy shared her employer’s opinions. “That really was a dumb thing to do, Rose.”   
Jimmy and Bret, on the other hand, looked upon her with respect, and a bit of envy. “I thought that was rather brave, and kind, to help out an old lion like that,” said Bret. “Even great creatures like that need help from time to time.”   
Monako nodded almost absent-mindedly. “Yes, those at the top still need the help when they’ve hit the bottom.” He glanced at Malcolm. “Would you do the same for the Zuni?”   
Malcolm blinked. “Help the Zuni? Of course! Provided that it is for a just cause, and not to further a reign of terror, or anything like that.”   
“Oh, this would be a just cause,” whispered Monako with a slight nod of his head. But before anyone could ask him any questions as to what he meant by that, he went to tend to the horses.   
An hour later, they finally broke camp and were back on their way. Malcolm was a bit upset at having lost quite a bit of time, but they seemed to make up for it by getting to another river that night. He was also a little upset for he noticed Monako had snuck away from the group with some of the meat, no doubt to give it to the lion. Dado was the only other one who noticed.   
When they made camp that evening, the atmosphere seemed solemn. Everyone went about their work quietly. No one knew what changed or when or how it happened, but there was something in the air that said something was happening, and happening soon. Malcolm and Monako had a private chat, and both seemed to come back with their friendship having grown stronger. But Monako seemed even more thoughtful, and slightly worried.   
“Mmm, that really hits the spot,” said Stanley after they had eaten their fill of hog meat, figs, and wild melons.   
“Ah, so Mister Stanley approves?”   
“Just Stanley, Dado, and yes, I wholeheartedly approve.”  
Dado grinned. “Good! There will be more tomorrow!”   
Stanley chuckled. “Glad to hear it.”   
Monako sighed and stood up. “It is time.”   
Everyone blinked in surprise at him, everyone but Dado. “What do you mean?” asked Malcolm.   
“Time for what?” asked Ralph.   
“Time for me to tell my story,” said Monako softly.   
Everyone straightened up, all ears eager to listen. But Monako seemed to second guess this decision. That’s when Dado jumped up and solidified it.   
“Monako is from my tribe!”   
“Um, yeah,” said Ralph, “you mentioned that already.”   
“Yes, yes, but Monako is very special Zunan, because Monako is Zuni! Monako is king!”


	13. Monako's Story

Everyone’s mouths dropped as their heads turned towards Monako.   
“Wh-what?” exclaimed Ralph, the first one to break the silence.   
Helen put a hand to her face. “Oh! All that talk of knowing exactly what the Zuni wanted, it’s because the Zuni has been with us this whole time!”   
Dado bobbed his head, grinning from ear to ear. “Yes!”  
Malcolm narrowed his eyes. “Then who is in charge of the Zunan village? And why were you in trouble?”   
Monako sighed. “That is my story, and if you will, I would like to tell it to you now.” He shot a sideways glance at Dado. “Now that I have no choice.”   
Dado grinned at him. “These are good people, you can trust them.” He sat down.   
“So I noticed,” mumbled Monako. He sighed. “My father, the previous Zuni, was friends with Tom Ferris. The Valley of Diamonds is knowledge that only a Zuni would know about. My father shared it with Tom Ferris for he saw no need for the diamonds while Tom Ferris could put them to use.” Monako became silent for a little while. “But Tom Ferris was not the only one who saw value in them. Two men from my tribe, Wola and Kala, wanted to claim them for themselves.” He pursed his lips. “And I begin to wonder if Ned Blythe put them up to it. They did not like my father. Wola wanted to become Zuni. But he could not for he was not taught how to be good Zuni like my father was teaching me nor while my father and I lived for the people know that we are the rightful rulers.” Monako’s face twisted with anguish. “And so they killed my father and spread lies about me to convince the people to turn on me so they could kill me too.” Monako squared his shoulders. “And that is why I left. I knew they would not wait until the people gave their consent before killing me. And they had to keep me from claiming the Light of the Zuni.”   
“What is the Light of the Zuni?” asked Malcolm softly.   
“A big diamond on a gold chain with big links,” said Monako. “A secret only Zuni know. I share with you since I know you do not want to take my place as Zuni. But no one else can know.”   
Malcolm nodded. “I understand.” He glanced at Dorcas. “Will you agree as well?”   
She sniffed. “Why would I want to rule an African village?” Malcolm eyed her. She waved her hand. “Yes, yes, I agree to never tell a soul of this Light of the Zuni.” She turned to Monako. “But however did your father get such a piece of jewelry?”  
Monako shrugged. “Been in family for long time.”   
“Did someone give it to your people?” asked Stanley.  
Monako shook his head. “No, first Zuni made it a long time ago.”   
“What? How?” exclaimed Dorcas.   
“Make really hot fire, melt gold.” Monako blinked at Dorcas. “You not know how to make jewelry?” Ralph snickered.  
Dorcas gasped. “Well I never!”   
“It's a simple question, Miss Pepper,” said Malcolm soothingly, while trying to keep a grin off his face. He was starting to fail. “Many people know how to make jewelry.”   
Dorcas rolled her eyes. “Yes, but not everyone has to know how if it’s not our job.”   
Monako blinked and shrugged. “I suppose. But it is a symbol of my royal bloodline, and only I know where it is hidden.”  
“Wouldn’t Wola need it to show that he is the Zuni?” asked Margy.   
Monako nodded slowly. “Yes, in a way. But I am the last of my line, he does not need it yet, not until he has established his own line and I am dead.”   
“Would you tell him where it was?” asked Helen.  
Monako shook his head. “No, and he can not make me tell. He shall have to search for it, which will prove if he will make good Zuni.” His face became angry. “Which he is not. Zuni only seeks peace and destroys his enemies, Wola will kill anyone who he does not like.” He growled. “That is not the way of the Zuni.”   
“So, Wola convinced your people to turn against you?” asked Bret. “How, if they knew you were the rightful Zuni?”   
“I think Kala helped with that,” said Monako. ‘He has more people trusting him than Wola. I think Wola promised him that he could be head adviser, and the two worked together to kill my father and spread lies about me.”   
“Monako? How long ago was this?” asked Malcolm softly.   
Monako looked at him, the anger going out of his face and sorrow took over. “It has been seven years, seven years since I have been in my village.”   
Malcolm’s eyes widened as he gasped. “You were only sixteen.” He glanced at Ralph. “Not much older than Ralph and Rose are now.”   
Monako nodded. “Yes, no longer a boy but not yet a man. A perfect time for Wola and Kala to strike.” He sighed. “I have no idea what has happened to my people since that time. This is why I must go back. They need me. Wola cannot be a Zuni.” He growled. “He can never be a Zuni.” He glanced at the group. “I know this is sudden, but, will you help me? I understand if you do not wish to. It’s just that . . .”  
Ralph gasped. “The lion! What you said about those who are at the top needing help when they have reached the bottom!”   
Monako nodded, a soft smile on his face. “Yes, you remembered. And I will never forget what you said, Ralph, about us being the lion’s friends. Will you be my friends and help me save my people from a tyrant?”   
Malcolm stood up and extended his hand. “Yes, Monako, you shall have our help. We are friends.”   
Monako shook his hand, smiling sadly. “I thank you for it. But I do fear that we shall enter into a war zone. But there is a way to avoid bloodshed.”   
“How are we to do that?” asked Jimmy.   
“If Wola and I battle alone.” He looked at Malcolm. “I only ask that you keep an eye on Kala. I can trust my people to abide by our rules, but not he. No, he is a liar and will try to cheat. My people might let you keep your guns on Kala, if his poison has not spread very far in these seven years.”   
Malcolm sighed. “I will do my best, Monako, but things can change in seven years. I’ve seen it.”   
“That is what I fear, though I hope it is not the case. I will keep your words of wisdom in mind, Malcolm, but I think there is still a chance the old ways have not completely died out yet.”   
“I hope so too, Monako, for all of our sakes.” Malcolm then turned to the women. “And it looks like we need to get that gun training underway quickly. I’d feel better knowing all of you could defend yourselves should the need arise.”   
Dorcas nodded. “I quite agree.”   
Malcolm smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.” He glanced at the last rays of the setting sun. “Unfortunately it’s too late for a lesson tonight. But we will have one in the morning and another tomorrow night. If we keep with two lessons a day, you might become quite good at it.”   
“I hope so,” said Rose  
“I just hope I never have to use it,” admitted Helen.   
Malcolm glanced at her. “I hope so too, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, as the saying goes.” His eyes glanced over the rest of the team. “Are we in agreement then?”   
They all nodded. “Yes!” they chorused.   
“Good, then I suggest we get to bed. We have an especially long day tomorrow, and I want you all well-rested.” He pointed at Ralph, Bret, Monako, and Margy. “And you four have the first watch.”   
“Yes sir,” Ralph said for the four. The rest said good night and crawled into their tents. But they couldn’t quite get to sleep yet, they all had their minds on the information they had just received. So the Zuni had been there with them the whole time. It certainly explained a lot of things, but the news still amazed them. Who would have thought they were traipsing through Africa with the king of the very village they were heading towards in their midst, working and watching along with them? But another thought also ran through their heads. What would they find at the village? Would Wola and Kala even agree to the battle? Malcolm, however, had another thought rushing through his head. Was Ned Blythe actually behind all this to get to the Valley of Diamonds?   
The next morning they were up bright and early and set about getting breakfast with the girls getting another lesson in handling guns. Rose was quite confident in her handling and proved to be a fast learner. Margy and Helen were both unsure about it, but Margy was progressing faster than Helen. But Helen managed to keep up with Bret’s gentle coaxing.   
Finally, they were on their way again. When it was Monako’s and Dado’s turn with the pack horses, Dorcas rode up next to Malcolm.   
“So, we’re supposed to take his word for it?” she mumbled.   
Malcolm raised an eyebrow. “You’re just now bringing this up? Why didn’t you bring it up last night when he was telling his story?”   
Dorcas shrugged. “I didn’t think about it until I fell asleep.” She furrowed her brow. “You can’t expect me to think of everything all the time. Why didn’t you think of it first?”   
“I did, I asked those questions for that reason. He was very genuine.”   
Dorcas blinked. “Those questions proved his trustworthiness? How? You were just asking about the Light of the Zuni!”   
“If you paid attention to the way he held himself, the way he talked, you would have figured out quite quickly that he wasn’t lying. Also, Ralph and I have a good sense about people, we haven’t been wrong before, and my sense tells me Monako can be and must be trusted.”   
Dorcas huffed. “Oh, so that’s it? You just trust him based on your instinct?”   
Malcolm rolled his eyes. “I also said that if you had paid attention to his manner of speaking and the way he held himself, you would have known he wasn't lying.” He furrowed his brow. “I do hope that we’re not walking into some kind of trap.”   
Dorcas gasped. “A trap? But you just said . . .”  
Malcolm raised his hand. “I did say Monako can be trusted. That doesn’t mean his enemies aren’t lying in wait for his return.” He huffed. “Which is why I hope the girls can learn how to shoot pretty quickly. Rose seems to be doing just fine, but Margy and Helen, they're going to take a little longer.” He glanced at Dorcas. “And I wish you would learn too.”   
Dorcas shook her head. “I understand that it's for our safety, but I simply refuse. I can't understand why you insist on Margy and especially Helen to learn when they don't want to either.”   
“You are less likely to have to worry about defending yourself than the girls,” he explained. His voice got lower. “There's a fellow interested in each of them and if Ned Blythe is indeed behind this, he will try to use them to get his way. But his goal will be to get Ralph. He knows I will do anything to protect my son.” A choke came into his voice. “Anything.”   
“But not stopping this adventuring business?”   
Malcolm eyed her. “It began as a way to provide for my family, Miss Pepper. I could find no work that I could do efficiently or if I did, no one would hire me. But apparently being good at maps and taking risks with the unknown was something a few wealthy people were looking for, and I jumped at the chance.” He shrugged. “And it paid well. Now here I am, getting to pay it forward to Bret, Jimmy, Stanley, and the girls.”   
Dorcas raised her eyebrow. “Did it pay well, though, if it cost you your wife?”   
Malcolm's eyes flashed. “That is a mistake I intend to prevent from happening again. That is why I insist the girls learn how to shoot.” His hands clenched the reins. “And why Ned knows I will do anything to protect my son.”   
There was a brief moment of silence before Dorcas spoke again. “What was her name?” Malcolm blinked. “Your wife. What was her name?”   
A loving, sad look entered his eyes. “Her name was Alice. She had an unquenchable curiosity and a wild imagination. And her eyes, oh, her eyes were two forests I wanted to get lost in and never leave.”   
Dorcas scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Oh wow.”   
Malcolm scoffed. “Do I detect a hint of jealousy in your voice, Miss Pepper?”   
Dorcas gasped. “A hint of jealousy?” She frowned. “More like annoyance. I never cared for such so-called romantic speech. It's just one of many reasons why I never married.”   
“What are those other reasons?”   
Dorcas sniffed. “None of your business. What I want to know is, how much younger Alice was than you when you married.”   
“She was twenty-five and I twenty-two when we wed.”   
Dorcas blinked. “What? She was older than you?”   
Malcolm smiled. “Is it really all that odd?”   
“Well, no, just really uncommon.”  
Malcolm chuckled. “Fair point, but yes, she was older than me, and we were very much in love.” He smiled. “And then Ralph came along, and it seemed life was complete. Those years were full of love, joy, and adventure, and I wouldn't trade them for the world.”   
“How did she die?”   
“That is something I am not ready to divulge, not yet.” They rode on in silence, letting the lively chatter of the younger people behind them take over in the absence of their talk.


	14. Romance Route

The girls got their nightly lesson in before dinner, and again in the morning after breakfast. As they ate breakfast, Dorcas asked how close they were to their destination.   
Malcolm turned to Monako. “It’s your village, and this is land familiar to you. How close would you say we are to your home?”   
Monako stood up and glanced around before sitting back down. “We look like we are only three days away, maybe even less. It has been several years since I have set foot in my village.”   
Malcolm nodded. “I understood. Would you like for me to double check the map?”   
Monako nodded. “Please.”   
“Very well.” Malcolm took out the map and his compass. The others continued to eat while he did the calculations. He glanced at Stanley. “Can you come double check my calculations?”   
Stanley quickly took a bite while he nodded before standing up. He took the map and the compass and went over them both. He glanced at Malcolm. “What did you get?”   
“I’m estimating about two days,” said Malcolm.   
Stanley nodded. “That’s what I’m getting too.”   
“And that is what I think,” added Monako.   
“Sounds about right,” said Dado between mouthfuls.   
“Oh good,” said Dorcas with a sigh. “We’re almost there!”   
Rose sighed. “And I haven’t had a chance to shoot something yet!”   
“I do hope we won’t have to use them,” muttered Helen.   
“Oh, you dear thing, you’ve been saying that every chance you get!” said Rose with a soft chuckle. “I’m sure you won’t have to, but I should certainly like to practice actual shooting, if for just a little while.” She turned to Malcolm. “May I, please? Just a few bullets!”   
“Please Dad? She is getting real good at it!” exclaimed Ralph  
Malcolm thought for a moment. He glanced between the two. They shot him big, pleading grins and big puppy eyes. His lips twitched. “Oh, alright.”  
“Yes!” the two chorused.   
Malcolm raised his finger. “But that will only be at night, and if you can turn it into a hunt. Otherwise, Rose may only shoot twice each night. I want to be absolutely sure we will have enough bullets with us should things at the village get nasty.”   
Rose and Ralph bobbed their heads. “Yes sir!”   
Malcolm smiled. “Very well. Ralph shall go with you. Would you like someone else with you?”   
Ralph thought a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t think we’ll need it. We won’t go far.”   
Malcolm nodded. “Very well. You may do it tonight once we have set up camp.”   
“Yes!” the two cheered.   
Rose jumped up and hugged Malcolm. “Thank you, Mr. Edwards!”   
Malcolm chuckled as he patted her back. “You’re welcome. I’d rest a little easier knowing at least one of you can shoot efficiently.”   
“Margy might be ready to shoot when we get there,” said Stanley.   
“So would Helen,” announced Bret brightly.   
“Very good!” said Malcolm, smiling at each of the girls with praise. “I will feel better knowing that you can at least handle a gun. Sometimes aiming won’t be necessary, just showing that you know how to handle a gun is enough.”   
Helen smiled wanly. “That’s good.”   
Malcolm nodded. “It is.” He turned to Margy. “And we have heard both Helen and Rose state their feelings and thoughts towards guns in general. So far, you’ve been quiet. Do you have anything you would like to add?”   
Margy thought a moment. “Well, I am hoping that I don’t have to shoot anyone, but I see the good in knowing how to use a gun properly.” She smiled. “I thank you for insisting that we learn how to shoot.”   
Malcolm smiled back. “You are very welcome.” He glanced at the sky. “Well, let’s get going, I would like to get to someplace good where Rose can do her first shooting,”   
Rose beamed. “Yes!” The group finished eating and quickly set about breaking camp. Rose in particular was eager to get going, she really wanted to try her hand at firing for the first time ever. Her giddiness seemed to be contagious as the others seemed to be particularly cheerful. That, or it was because they were so close to their destination. Or both. Whatever the case may be, they were all talking away about the sights of the jungle, they were all smiling, and a few were laughing. Everyone, that is, except for Monako. He was becoming more and more worried about it. Only Dado, Malcolm, and Stanley seemed to notice. And they figured getting closer to his home, a home he hadn’t seen in seven years, was the cause. How could it not? The men who murdered his father were still in power, and he had no idea how things had gotten in his absence. This began to worry Malcolm too. Even though Monako and Dado knew these parts, even coming from this village, they were going into a place, and a situation that Malcolm worried they weren’t fully prepared for. And as he was going to find out, his worst fears were going to come true.   
But despite that, their spirits were still mostly high. They had traveled for a couple of weeks now, the end was in sight. They had learned a bit more about each other on this trip. The girls revealed more about their parents and aunt. Their mother was a socialite and earned money on the side as a seamstress. Their father owned a sailing company, and the girls had learned how to swim and operate a boat at a young age. Ralph, Monako, and Dado also shared stories of their families before tragedy struck. Stanley had wowed them all with hair-raising adventures on the sea while Malcolm had wowed them with his own hair-raising adventures on land with his wife. Now, as they sat around the fire on what was to be their second night away from the village, all they could talk about were the diamonds they were hoping to find and what they would buy with them. Bret, Jimmy and Stanley opted to work some more for Malcolm, but they were thinking of getting their own places. The girls were wanting to move into a new, better apartment, closer to Dorcas, while Helen could go to an art school to better her art. Malcolm eventually had to put a stop to the planning.   
“We still have dinner to fix. And daylight is waning fast, if Rose wanted her first shots, she had better get a move on.”   
“Oh, right!” She bounced up and dashed to get her gun, followed by Ralph. The two made sure they had everything before taking off into the woods. Rose was practically bouncing the whole way.   
Ralph chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Never bounce with a gun. I get you’re excited, so was I the first time I got to shoot.”  
Rose laughed. “I know, but I’m so excited!” She paused and glanced at him. “How old were you when you learned to shoot?”   
“I was about ten when Dad let me shoot for the first time. He refused to let me hold a gun for long until he knew I was better at it and he was confident in my abilities as a shooter.” He shrugged. “Apparently teaching me as a kid is a whole lot different than teaching you when you’re a lady. For starters, you’re far more trustworthy than I was at ten.” He shot her a mischievous grin.   
Rose laughed. “You mean to tell me you were a little stinker?”   
“It’s possible.” He leaned in and whispered, “But I’m not going to tell you that.”   
She leaned in and whispered, “Then what will you tell me?”   
“That this looks like a good place to stop and find something to hunt,” said Ralph coming to a stop.   
Rose groaned. “But we haven’t walked that far!”   
“Yeah, but you heard Dad, he doesn’t want us too far from camp.” His face became serious as he took up a position behind a bush. “And I can understand why. We’re getting close to the village. Who knows if they have hunting parties out and about of their own. WOuldn’t want to hit them for starters, and if they mean trouble, we wouldn’t want to be caught without back-up.” Rose sighed and shook her head as she crouched next to him. Ralph blinked at her. “What?”   
“You, that’s what. It always seems like you’re trying to pull me close. But then the very next second you’re pushing me away!”   
“Keep your voice down!” whispered Ralph. He then sighed and placed his gun on the ground. He turned to her and took her hands in his. “And I’m sorry about that, it’s just I . . . you’re . . .” He paused and sighed, placing his head against hers. “You’re the first girl I’ve met that I’ve been interested in.”   
“Really?”   
He nodded. “Yeah, and . . . and the thing is, when I push you away, that’s instinctive. I’m, I’m just like my Dad, I’m scared of losing the ones I love.” He chuckled softly. “Maybe working as an adventurer isn’t the best line of work for that, but Dad and I, we’re good at it, and we like doing it.”   
Rose squeezed his hands. “And not every adventure is that dangerous.”   
He smiled. “I know, those were my first ones. It’s just, I guess what I’m tryng to say is . . .” He paused and huffed. “Listen, I’m sorry for trying to push you away, I really only did it to protect you. I really, really like you . . . mmph!” She cut him off with a kiss. It took only a moment to get over the shock and returned the kiss with the passion he felt for her. In that moment, the heat, the dangers, the diamonds, all of it was forgotten, it was just the two of them.   
Helen jumped as two consecutive shots rang out from the jungle. She was painting another picture, this time at the explicit request of Monako. Luckily, she hadn’t touched the canvas with the brush, otherwise, it would have ruined the painting. Bret patted her back reassuringly. She smiled at him. Yes, like Margy, she did understand the importance of learning how to use a gun. Ever since she had had one in her face back at the apartment, which felt like ages ago, she wanted some way of defending herself. But knowing that her younger sisters took to it much more easily than she did give her some peace of mind. Holding it was one thing, but actually firing it? It made her feel a little queasy.   
“Are you alright?” asked Bret. “Those were just Rose’s first two shots.”   
“I know, it just startled me, that all. Thank you.”   
Bret nodded. “No problem. Just, let me know if you need anything.”   
“I will!” Helen went back to the painting with a soft smile on her face. A moment later, Rose and Ralph came walking back to the camp. Helen noticed they were holding hands and shared a glance with Margy. Both quickly turned back to their activities with big smiles on their faces. So Ralph really did like their sister. He was a good fellow, he could be just as playful as Rose, but he also knew when to reel in the playfulness. He wasn’t quite as mature as Bret or Stanley, but he was more mature than Rose, and that was what was needed.   
“So, you didn’t bring us back any game, huh?” asked Malcolm.   
Ralph shook his head. “Not really, not unless you wanted monkey.”   
Rose wrinkled her nose. “And not only did they look like they didn’t have much meat on them, they might also taste nasty.”   
Monako nodded. “Monkey does not taste good.”   
Dado glanced at him in surprise. “You tried eating monkey?”   
Monako shrugged. “Was all I could catch one night, and I was hungry.” He shook his head. “Never again. Good choice, Ralph and Rose.”  
“Thank you,” the two chorused.   
Dorcas sighed as she stood up. “Well, then let’s check to see what we’ve got in the supplies.” There was still a few days worth of food left in the supplies as the hog Monako and Dado shot had fed them for quite a while. They had a pretty good dinner while Helen’s painting dried and chatted again of plans for the diamonds. All the while, Monako’s eyes strayed to the painting, thinking. What his thoughts were was anybody’s guess, but they didn’t pay much attention to his now normal silence.   
The next morning, Malcolm thought it best that Bret and Stanley take Helen and Margy to let them shoot twice as well. Rose would still get her next two shots when they stopped that evening, Malcolm just wanted Margy and Helen to have shot a gun at least twice before getting to the village. Ralph just wanted to help Rose get better at aiming since she felt more comfortable and they had a bit of time to do it.   
Bret and Stanley came back with Helen and Margy, reporting that the two did fairly well, but would need more time to practice aiming. Time which they didn’t have. Malcolm was seeing the errors of his decision in starting out immediately after meeting everyone, a fact that Dorcas refused to leave silent for that day’s journey. He was at least grateful she said “I told you so” in so many words without actually saying “I told you so”.   
When they made camp later that evening, Ralph and Rose went into the jungle immediately. Now that they were so close to the village, neither one was as flirty as the night before. Rose understood the seriousness of the situation and was on high alert. Ralph praised her for it.   
“I knew you could step up to the plate when the time came,” he told her with a smile. Their fingers never touched.   
She smiled back. “I’m glad someone does. Everyone thinks that since I’m the youngest I can’t be mature and I don’t know a serious situation when I see it.”   
“Or how to act serious in such a situation,” said Ralph with a knowing nod. “Oh yeah, I get it, and I’m sure Jimmy’s getting it too. But here’s what others don’t get, we can’t be serious all the time.” He shrugged. “Got to play sometimes.”   
“And there is a time for that,” she said as they crouched behind a bush. “Now just isn’t the time.”   
“Exactly.” He turned to adjusting her position and showing her how to take a better shot. “Alright, take your time. Look for what you want to shoot, take a breath, and then shoot.” Rose did as he said and shot at a branch. She knocked a twig off it. “Nice! Were you aiming for that?”   
Rose shrugged. “Kind of, that general area, anyways.”   
Ralph nodded. “Well, that was good. Do one more, and we’ll head back.”   
Rose nodded and took aim, aiming again at the same branch. Her heart was beating fast. This was actually kind of fun. She didn’t understand why Margy didn’t like it. She did understand why Helen didn’t, Helen was always more gentle, more kind, more sweet than her or Margy. But Margy, she figured she would jump at this, the two of them got the fiery temper of their mother while Helen was more like their mild-mannered father. She let out a breath, and fired. She hit the branch, just not in the spot she was exactly aiming for, but it was close. SHe huffed. “Almost got it.”   
“The fact that you’ve learned how to shoot and can aim pretty well just means you’re a natural at this, Rose,” said Ralph, beaming. “That, and you’re just awesome.”   
Rose giggled softly. “Why thank you.” She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. “I did have a wonderful teacher.”   
Ralph stood up and bowed. “It was an honor to teach such a fantastic student.”   
Rose giggled. “I thought we were supposed to be serious.”   
“We are, but you’re just so awesome!” Rose smiled and was about to say something, but paused. Ralph had paused too and surveyed the brush. Both thought they had heard a twig snapping. He whispered. “Stay here.”   
“But Ralph!”   
“Sh!” There it was again, and it was definitely a twig snapping. Ralph stepped cautiously further into the jungle. Rose had her gun up, ready to back him up at a moment’s notice. He held up his gun and brushed some of the branches aside. The next minute, Ralph was surrounded by tribesmen. Then Simms stepped out of the brush with a cruel smile.   
“That’s him alright. Take him.”


	15. Into the Village

Ralph gritted his teeth as he brushed past another branch. It was hard to see where he was going. How could he? He was blindfolded and his hands were tied in front of him, Simms pulling harshly at the rope that bound his hands. He gritted his teeth yet again at the rough pull on his hands, the rope starting to bite into his flesh.   
“Come on, you little mutt,” mumbled Simms, pulling on the rope again, hard. Ralph stumbled a bit, but he quickly found his footing and kept going. He was determined not to let Simms get under his skin. Simms seemed to guess at his intentions and chuckled cruelly. “I’m not doing this to get under your skin, boy, I know what gets under your skin.” He then whispered close to Ralph’s ear. “Touching that little lady friend of yours certainly would though. You’ve gotten real sweet on her since we last spoke.”   
Ralph let out a low growl. “How I talk to my friends is none of your business.”   
Simms snorted. “That is not how a fellow would talk to his friends.” He lowered his voice. “That’s definitely how a fellow would talk to his lover.”   
Ralph’s hands curled into fists. “I told you . . .”   
A tribesman interrupted them, speaking quickly in his native language. “Alright, alright, no more talking,” grumbled Simms. “Let’s hurry it up. Come on, mutt.” He pulled on the rope hard, and the group got moving again. But Simms did get Ralph’s blood boiling. He didn’t care what happened to him, if this jerk laid his hands on Rose, or anyone else, for that matter, Ralph would probably go feral. His thoughts went back to the scene they had just left.   
Simms had turned his beady eyes on Rose, her own eyes looking back at him over the nozzle of a gun. She had it aimed at him. Ralph wanted to run back to her and kiss her, but he knew any sudden moves would get a few spears thrown at him and they would really be in a pickle. So he stayed put, but his gun was aimed at Simms as well.   
“What did you mean by take him?” asked Rose. There was a force in her voice that Ralph had never heard before, and not only did it frighten him, it thrilled him. He just hoped it only frightened Simms and his lackeys.   
Simms stepped towards Ralph and grabbed his arm. “My boss was pretty insistent that we get either Malcolm Edwards or his son. They have a lot of talking to do.”   
“Bet your boss wanted you to grab me first so he could persuade my father to do exactly what he says,” said Ralph with a soft but fierce growl.   
“He just said for one or the other.” Simms’s grip tightened. “But I bet he figured that if we take you, your father will no doubt come running.” One of the tribesmen said something in his native tongue, he had his bow and arrow aimed at Rose. Simms answered in the native tongue. “Leave the girl alone!” he then said. “Someone has to go tell the boy’s father.”   
“I’m not leaving without him,” said Rose defiantly. “I’ll take your boss’s message to Mr. Edwards, but I’m not leaving without Ralph.”   
“Unfortunately, you can’t leave with him,” returned Simms. He then pointed at the other tribesmen. “And you’re outnumbered, sweetheart, you don’t have much of a choice.” There was a moment of silence as Ralph locked eyes with Rose. Simms had a point. Even if Ralph could get back to Rose’s position without getting an arrow or a dart in his back, they still didn’t have much of a chance. Sure, once their guns went off in rapid succession, the others would come running. But would it be too late? And Ralph thought it was far too late for either of them to scream for help. They were faced with a decision and they needed to make it, now. Ralph was just hoping Rose would start screaming the instant she started running back to camp.   
“I’ll go with you.”   
“Ralph!”   
“But you leave her alone.”   
“Drop your gun,” ordered Simms.   
“Leave her alone.”   
“Deal, now drop your gun.” Ralph peered into Simms’s eyes, looking for any sign of dishonesty. Either Simms was telling the truth, or he had one heck of a poker face. Ralph dropped his gun. Simms smiled and began pulling him away.   
“Ralph no!”   
“Rose get back to camp, now!”   
“Ralph!”   
“Go, now!” He kept his eyes on her until she finally stood and took off running. Then he heard her screaming out his father’s name. Hurry, Rose, just hurry.   
Simms chuckled. “Nice trick. But we came prepared.”   
Ralph’s eyes widened. “What?”   
“Oh don’t worry, it doesn’t involve hurting your pretty lady friend. I keep my word.” Simms tied a blindfold over his eyes while a tribesman bound his wrists. “Now move.” Simms yanked on the rope and Ralph lurched forward. But he quickly steadied himself, just in time for them to start running. They ran for several minutes. Ralph could hear strange noises behind him. Were the tribesmen masking their trail? His heart sank, of course they were. This was well planned out. It would give them time to get to the village way ahead of the others. He gritted his teeth. He was a fool for not even trying to fight. But he only thought of Rose’s safety. They were outnumbered. And even if they were to have called for aid, it might not have arrived in time, and Ralph had no desire for Rose, much less any of the girls, to be in the presence of this man. But now that this was happening, well, for starters, there was no going back and no use second-guessing. Secondly, and most impoartantly, Ralph could assess the situation in the village and see what he could do to help Monako from the inside. If he got any chances to do so. He would have to keep his eyes and ears peeled for those chances, and possibly any information as well any chances for him to escape.   
They finally slowed down, but they kept at a steady pace. Ralph was sweating profusely, even though he could tell the sun was almost down. On top of that, he was getting thirsty.   
He coughed. “Can I have something to drink?”   
“You’ll drink when we stop,” muttered Simms. “Keep moving.” They kept moving alright, Ralph’s wrists were being rubbed raw by the rope, his legs muscles were screaming in agony, and his lips and throat were parched. But he said nothing. He needed to focus on finding chances to escape, helping Monako, and gathering information they could use against their enemies. Maybe he could find out Wola’s and Kala’s weaknesses. But that was all maybe, only a hope, he could still find out nothing. But hope was all he needed to keep on going. He was sure he would see his father and their friends again. But until then, he had to deal with this lot.   
The group paused for a little while so that Ralph and Simms could catch their breath. Neither one were used to travelling such long distances over land. Both panted, trying to catch their breath.   
“How much . . . how much further?” asked Ralph.   
“Hold your horses, you dumb brat, just a little longer,” grunted Simms, “then you can have some water.”   
Ralph scoffed. “Sounds like you’re in the same boat as I am.” Simms only grunted in reply. A tribesman spoke.   
“Let’s go.” Simms pulled on the rope. Ralph gritted his teeth, but a soft moan of pain still came through. Simms heard it and chuckled. “Serves you right.” They continued on for a few minutes or an hour, Ralph couldn’t tell, but the next thing he knew, he was surrounded by voices and he could hear curiosity in them. They must have entered the village. He could smell fires burning, food being cooked, and hear the crackling of sparks flying through the air while people rose and chattered in wonder. Some even began to follow the group. He was now a spectacle. “On your knees, mutt.” Simms pushed him to the ground. Ralph pushed himself up onto his knees, just in time for the blindfold to be taken off. He blinked as he glanced around. It was dusk now, the last rays of the sun were just disappearing behind the horizon. But a ring of torches provided enough light for him to see his surroundings. He could see he was in a small arena that was filling up with the tribesmen. He was facing two men, one sitting on a throne, both looking upon him with a hint of malice.   
“What do you want from my father?” he said in a strong voice.   
The man sitting upon the throne raised his eyebrow. He seemed impressed. “If you can speak so strongly after such a hard run, you are made of strong stuff, indeed.” He turned to his friend. “If he is this strong, how much stronger is the father?”   
His friend scoffed. “Don’t be too impressed with him, Wola, they have spoken to our enemy and consider him their friend. They are just as much an enemy of ours as Monako.” This then, had to be Kala. Ralph disliked him immediately. “And do not fear this show of strength, our ally tells me they can be broken easily.” Ralph clenched his jaw. Ned Blythe, no doubt. “The son will break the father, and the girl will break this boy.” Ralph felt sick, so they still wanted to harm Rose.   
“But there are three girls,” came another voice. Ralph saw another man coming from a side door, but he knew with an even more sickening feeling who the voice belonged to. Into the light of the fire stepped Ned Blythe, his green eyes made Ralph think of a venomous snake while his smile only held a cruel enjoyment in seeing someone in pain. “Hello, Ralphy boy, you don’t look too good.”   
“Three girls?” asked Kala. “But how will we . . .”   
Ned waved his hand. “You don’t have to worry about a thing. Simms here knows which one is which. Don’t you Simms?”   
Simms nodded. “Oh yes, I do.” He licked his lips. “Pretty little things, all three of them. But the one he likes is easy to find. She’s got reddish hair and quite the temper to go with it. Looks pretty handy with a gun too.”   
Ned gasped and glanced at Ralph. “Is it possible? Has the young Edwards found a woman much like his mother?”   
Ralph was startled by the comment. “What? How do you know my mother?”   
“Oh, your father didn’t tell you, did he?”   
“Tell me what?”   
Ned simply shook his head and tsked. “That man. Don’t worry Ralph, I’ll make sure your father tells you before you die.” His lips parted in a cruel smile.   
Ralph growled. “So, this is a trap?”   
Ned tilted his head. “Sort of, I do still need your father to give me his claim to the Valley of Diamonds.”   
“Why? You obviously got here first.”   
Ned sighed and tsked again. “I need your father’s knowledge on maps and how to read Tom Ferris’s map in particular.”   
“Oh, I see.” Ralph glanced at Wola and Kala. “And where do they come into all of this?”   
Ned blinked. “Well, don’t you know? Wola’s the Zuni, so he has to give it to me in a formal ceremony and all that.” He glanced at Ralph. “A middle-schooler could have told you that.” Wola chuckled, but Ralph’s eyes flashed.   
“I don’t think my father will give you what you want,” he said softly.   
Ned grinned. “Then you don’t know your father as well as I thought you would have. Because he would, oh boy, he definitely would.” He got into Ralph’s face. “He would do anything to protect you boy, you can bet on that.” He straightened up. “And I do, every time.”   
Wola rolled his eyes and groaned. “Alright, alright, enough. We all know you are very smart, Mr. Blythe, but it is getting late, and I must rest before we meet our enemies tomorrow.” He waved at the guards and spoke in their native tongue. One pulled Ralph to his feet.   
“Until tomorrow morning, boy,” said Ned with a smug smile. “When you shall see me bring your father low, very very low.”   
“You won’t win, Blythe. Trust me, you won’t win!” shouted Ralph before they dragged him away. The guards took him back through the village. Ralph could see all around him this time. The village had several huts surrounding the arena. There were fires sending smoke into the night sky. But in their soft glow, Ralph could see the villagers. They looked rather thin, and some had a sorrowful look in their eyes that they were trying to hide. So things were not that good under Wola’s and Kala’s rule. Would they be excited to have their rightful king back?   
The guards paused in front of a hut, one Ralph figured was the prison. While one of the guards fiddled with the lock, Ralph took another quick look around, trying to figure out the best escape route. His eyes fell upon a small child, watching the whole thing over her mother’s shoulder. She slowly raised her hand and waved at him. He softened by the adorableness and sweet innocence of the child and raised his hand to wave back. She smiled, and he smiled back. Suddenly, the rope was pulled, and he was thrown into the prison. They untied his hands before locking the door. One turned to stand by the door while the other walked away.   
Ralph took a look around the prison. It looked like any other hut, but with none of the comforts of a home. There were a few beds, but Ralph was the only person in the entire hut. The door opened, startling him. He quickly turned around, but the door was already closing again. The guard had left a basin of water. Ralph drank his fill and surveyed the hut again. Maybe in the morning he could figure out something, but right now, there were a lot of thoughts swirling in his head, and Ned’s taunts weren’t helping. Heaving a heavy sigh, Ralph walked towards the far side of the hut and sank down to the ground. He wrapped his arms around his legs and thought of his mother. He let a few tears flow down his face. He missed her, he wanted his father, he wanted his friends. He thought he would never have to feel alone ever again, and yet here he was. He never felt more alone in his life. But he couldn’t think like that, no, the people who loved him were coming for him, and Ned Blythe would get his comeuppance. But for now, Ralph needed to sleep, he felt utterly exhausted. He put his head on his knees, and in a minute, he was sound asleep.


	16. Encircling Life and Death

“Mr. Edwards!” screamed Rose as she raced through the jungle. Hot tears of rage streamed down her face. She knew Ralph was only doing the best thing possible to get them both out alive, but she didn’t like it one bit. She wished he had taken his chances, but was beginning to be glad he didn’t because there was the possibility he would have been shot. “Mr. Edwards!” She was just about out of the glade when she came upon their group, having left the camp to search for them.   
Malcolm glanced between the trees. “Rose, what happened? Where’s Ralph?”   
“They, they took him!” she exclaimed between sobs. “Simms and some warriors took him to his boss!”   
Malcolm’s eyes widened. “No,” he said in a horrified whisper. “Oh God, please don’t take my son too.”   
“Which way did they go?” asked Stanley.   
Rose pointed behind her. “I think it was towards the village, but I don’t know.”   
Monako placed a reassuring hand on Malcolm’s shoulder. “It is more than likely they would have taken him to the village. I know I have said Wola and Kala are killers, but they will not kill him right away.”   
“You’re right, especially since I know Simms’s boss definitely won’t kill him.” Malcolm paused and took a deep breath. “H-he’d want me to watch,” he explained with a catch in his voice.   
“Then we must make a good plan and be very careful,” said Monako. “They will use whatever tricks they can to win.”   
“Oh there’s no doubt about that. I just hope we can come up with a good plan,” said Malcolm.   
“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” said Stanley. “Let’s get planning.”   
“What? Shouldn’t we go after them now before they get too far?” exclaimed Rose.   
Malcolm laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, a deep sorrow filling his grey eyes. “We already know where they are going and I am positive Ralph will be kept alive.”   
“Then we shall be fine with making plans tonight,” said Monako. “It will be better if we are on the same page.”   
“I agree,” said Malcolm, almost weakly.   
“But what I want to know is, how did they know it was an opportunity to grab Ralph?” asked Stanley. “Have they just been following us this whole time?”   
“But that doesn't make sense,” said Bret as they began to walk back to the camp. “How did they get ahead of us into the village?”   
“Blythe must have figured out how long it took for us to travel. It's not that hard to figure out,” said Malcolm.   
“And you did stay at Mister Ferris’s house for a week before heading out,” pointed out Dado. “They could have come out here right away and been here a week before we came, just waiting for us.”   
Helen shivered. “Oh, how dreadful!”   
“Would, would they torture him?” asked Margy fearfully.   
“I don't think so,” said Monako, “there's no need to.” He glanced at Malcolm's drawn face. “We must do it, we must have the battle.”   
“What is this battle?” asked Dorcas. “Why is it so important?”   
“It is an honorable way for two people who have made a claim to a decision without harming anyone else.” Monako’s face twitched. “At least it should be, now that they have Ralph, that might be harder. I would not want him harmed either.” He gave Malcolm an understanding glance.   
Malcolm smiled wanly. “Thank you.”   
Monako gave a slight nod of his head. “You are welcome, my friend.”   
“So then, how should we proceed?” asked Jimmy. “No matter how I look at it, it seems they have the upper hand, what with having Ralph and all.”   
“The choosing of the battlefield,” remarked Monako as he sat down next to the fire. The group had made their way back to camp and everyone proceeded to sit. “That is the only thing in our favor, even then if they have not chosen a place to battle.”   
Dado rested his head on his hand, thinking hard. “What would be a good place though? Like Jimmy said, we are practically within their power because they have Ralph.”   
“It would have to be a place with few trees,” said Monako. “That way, no black mambas.”   
Dado bobbed his head. “Yes, and that way they can not sneak up on us. Also, no hills, we will be able to see danger from farther away.”   
Monako nodded. “Yes, that too.”   
“Well, alright then,” said Stanley. “But we don’t know this area very well. You’ll have to pick the best spot.”   
“Yes, of course,” said Monako with a slight bow of his head.   
Dado hemmed and hawed. “But, the places with the fewer trees also have the tallest grass. While we can see other humans and taller animals, it is the snakes that worry me.”   
“Oh goodness!” said Dorcas with a slight shiver.   
Monako sighed. “Yes, the snakes would be our greatest concern.” He paused. “But they could also become our greatest ally and keep the battle fair.”   
“They could also become our enemy and be used against us. Wola and Kala will use whatever dirty tricks they can,” pointed out Dado.   
Monako nodded. “Yes, yes they will.” he huffed. “Then there really is only one place that will work for us. It is not far from here and the grass is not that high, but it is high enough that it would be best if everyone keeps an eye out for snakes.”  
“Especially black mambas,” said Dado. “They like to sleep in trees. Disturb one’s sleep and they will strike fast.” He shot his hand out and pulled it back in the blink of an eye, accompanied by a hissing sound. The girls jumped at the sudden movement, but all nodded their heads solemnly.   
“Alright then,” said Jimmy, “but how will they know where you want to fight?”   
“They will come soon to tell us they have Ralph,” said Monako softly. “Since they have a prisoner, they must let me choose the location of the battle.”   
“How long will that be?” asked Bret.   
Monako shrugged. “It might take till late tonight. The sun has already begun to set.” The group glanced at the horizon, the sun’s glare dimming as its shining orb dipped below the horizon.   
Rose buried her face in her hands. “Oh, I wish I had done something!”   
Malcolm placed a hand on her shoulder. “You were no doubt outnumbered. You did the best thing given the circumstances.” Rose could only nod as the tears began to fall. Her sisters held her as she sobbed softly.   
“Dado and I will take the first watch,” said Monako. “You all should get some sleep.”   
Malcolm nodded. “Thank you, my friend.”  
Dorcas rose. “But first, we eat.” In a matter of minutes, dinner was served. The meal was eaten in silence, everyone anxious about the upcoming battle they knew was inevitable.   
Rose was up with the sun the next morning, eager to save Ralph. Malcolm, Stanley, Monako and Dado were already up, huddled near the fire. Breakfast was ready, just simmering over the fire. The four were whispering about something anxiously. Rose could feel her heart go into her throat. They had come, hadn’t they? The message had come and the place of battle had been chosen. Right? She immediately walked over to where the four men were standing. They paused in their chatter and turned to look at her. By then, the others were coming out of the tents.   
“It, it’s happening soon, isn’t it?” whispered Bret. Malcolm nodded his head solemnly.   
“It will happen at the place we have chosen,” announced Monako, “in three hours. If we are not there on time . . .” He let the words hang ominously in the air while he glanced at Malcolm.   
“We should get ready to leave,” said Stanley, breaking the tension. “Wouldn’t want to keep his royal nutcase waiting too long.” Monako’s mouth twitched ever so slightly before going to help Stanley get the horses ready.   
Dado began serving plates. “Come, eat, quickly. Not much time before we have to leave.”   
“They really agreed to it?” asked Helen as they sat down to eat. “They agreed to the battle between Monako and Wola?”   
“What’s the catch?” asked Jimmy. Dado handed him a plate of food before shooting a worried look at Malcolm.   
Malcolm sighed. “The catch is that Kala will have a knife to Ralph’s back the whole time.”   
“Those were not his words,” began Dado slowly. “Just that Ralph’s life would be in an ever present danger and should we make one wrong move, he will make sure to put an end to it.” Rose let out a shuddering gasp. Helen placed an arm around her and pulled her close.   
Malcolm clenched his teeth. “But be ready should they try to cheat themselves. I can’t lose my son.” He gulped. “I won’t.”   
“I won’t either,” said Rose firmly. She locked fiery, defiant eyes with Malcolm. “Whoever tries to kill him will be shot.”   
Malcolm smiled softly. “Thank you.”   
“But first you should eat,” said Helen, “keep up your strength.”   
Dado nodded as he handed her a plate of food. “She is right, you must eat. And you must hurry.”   
Rose took the plate with a nod. “Of course.” They quickly ate while Monako, Dado, Malcolm, and Stanley went about breaking down the camp. Bret, Jimmy, and Rose finished first and went to help. Once Margy, Helen, and Dorcas finished, they went about cleaning up the breakfast dishes and putting out the fire. In a matter of minutes, they were packed and heading out.   
Monako and Dado led the way to the grassy battlefield, with Stanley and Malcolm behind them, then the girls, and finally Bret and Jimmy in the back with the pack horses and Ralph’s horse. The riders were silent but rode with a determined yet uneasy air. Rose had her gun prepped and hanging from her belt, her hands gripping the reins tightly. Everyone would glance around their surroundings, worried about being followed by a hunting party, or getting attacked by the local predators. Their way was clear, however, and they didn’t see either man or beast until they reached the clearing that Monako and Dado had mentioned.   
As soon as they entered the clearing, they saw their adversaries. The man in the middle they figured was Wola, the man on his right they figured was Kala while Simms was standing to his left. None had guns out, but Simms kept his hand close to his holster. Rose glanced around anxiously for Ralph. She stifled a cry when she found him. He was bound to a tree. He was gagged, but his grey eyes spoke with a joy at seeing his friends and his father. Monako sucked in his breath upon seeing where Ralph stood, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned to Wola with fire in his eyes.   
“I see you have made some new friends, Monako,” said Wola softly. “Perhaps you should not have brought them into this mess.”   
“Are there any warriors not loyal to you or to me?” asked Monako equally as softly.   
“All must be loyal to the throne,” said one warrior. His voice, too, stayed low. Wola shot him a look.   
Jimmy leaned towards Dado. “Wait, does everyone in your tribe know English?” he whispered.   
Dado shook his head and whispered back, “Mainly warriors, advisors, and the royal family.”   
“What is your name, warrior?” asked Monako.   
“Umbelo,” he replied.   
“Will you judge our battle fairly, preferring neither side?”   
Umbelo bowed his head. “I will.”   
Monako turned to Wola. “Are we in agreement?”   
Wola grumbled. “Fine. Choose your weapon, Monako, so we can get this over with quickly.” Monako nodded and dismounted his horse. He handed the reins to Dado and walked towards a blanket that showcased the weapons. They consisted mostly of knives and spears. Monako picked out a knife and stepped away. Then Wola stepped forward and picked out a knife of his own. Umbelo stepped between them.   
“If you cheat, you will die. Only use the knives in the final round. Begin!” Umbelo stepped back, and the two began to circle around the area, their eyes locked with deadly intent. Wola made the first move by lunging at Monako, but he stepped to the side. He swung a fist at Wola, but Wola caught it and flung him to the ground. And thus the battle began. Dado quickly explained to Malcolm and company that there were seven rounds. The winner of each round got a point, and whoever won the most rounds was declared the winner.   
The first six rounds flew by in rapid but almost noiseless succession, with Monako in the lead with four points. The group had started to relax a bit, thinking Monako would win for sure. But then the knives came out, and they tensed up again. This round would be vital for sure, as they wouldn’t put it past Wola to try and kill Monako. Monako and Wola circled each other again, this time with a malicious glint in Wola’s eyes. He knew this was his time, and probably the sole reason for agreeing to the battle, so he could kill Monako once and for all. The group knew they were powerless to stop it. Sure, Ralph was tied up to a tree a distance away from the field, but anyone could shoot him before they had a chance to get to him. Simms’ hand was placed firmly on his gun handle now, and he and Stanley were eyeing each other.   
Rose caught something moving out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head slightly and glanced up at the tree. Her eyes widened when she saw the slight movement of a slender, scaly body. Her gaze followed the snake’s body to where its head lay. Its eyes were closed. Now she understood the full danger Ralph was in. One sound, one false move, the snake would wake and it could go after Ralph. Rose didn’t know what kind of snake it was, but she was beginning to fear that it was a black mamba. She locked eyes with Ralph. He shot her a reassuring look. As long as the snake stayed asleep, everything would be fine. But Rose did not like it, not one bit, and slowly, carefully, began to draw out her gun and make sure it was ready to fire.   
Monako fell to the ground with a soft cry, the knife falling from his hands. A cruel smile spread on Wola’s face as he lunged, the knife poised in his hand for the deadly blow. But the knife never met its target as a loud rumbling interrupted the move. Wola’s head snapped up, his eyes widening as the others turned to see the disturbance. A rhino was barreling down on the group.   
“Move it!” shouted Malcolm. Everyone dashed out of the way of the charging rhino. It passed between them and Ralph. A loud hiss was heard a mere moment before the snake struck out and bit the rhino. The rhino went barreling on before slowing down to a stop and falling over, dead. Rose’s wide eyes turned back towards the unfolding frightening scene. The snake found Ralph and was looking him dead in the eye.


	17. The King Has Returned

The snake flicked its tongue. Ralph was as still as a statue, but he was starting to look nervous. A shot rang out. The momentum of the shot sent the snake hurtling a few feet away from Ralph. Stanley quickly rushed towards the snake, dismounted and pushed it even further away with the butt of his gun. He proceeded to cut off its head. Rose holstered her smoking gun and ran towards Ralph, Malcolm right behind her. There was a cry from Wola, but they paid him no mind as they quickly untied Ralph.   
“Oh Ralph!” cried Rose as she wrapped her arms around his neck.   
“Nice shot!” Ralph promptly kissed her.   
“Are you alright, son?” asked Malcolm, coming in for a hug as well.   
Ralph nodded as he returned the hug. “Thanks to Rose.” He turned and beamed at her.   
Malcolm chuckled and patted Rose’s back. “A great many thanks.”   
A cheer went up. “The usurper Wola is dead!” The three turned and saw that the warriors were cheering. Kala had been captured, but apparently Simms had left before they could capture him.   
“But it’s not over yet,” muttered Malcolm under his breath.   
Rose turned and glanced at him, questioningly. Ralph sighed. “Looks like Simms got away and has gone to tell Ned Blythe what has happened.”   
Rose grabbed his arm. “What will they do to the villagers?”   
Ralph smirked. “Nothing, a few warriors are always stationed at the village. And those who are there now are loyal to Monako and would turn upon them the instant Simms got back without Wola or Kala.” His face fell. “No, I’m more worried about what Blythe will plan next. He may not have the backing of Wola and Kala and their warriors, but he knows this land better than we do and is sure to use it to his advantage.”   
Malcolm nodded. “As am I.” He let out a breath of relief as he wrapped his arms around his son. “But for right now, I’m happy you’re alright.” There was another cheer as the rest of their group came forward to hug Ralph and congratulate Rose on a good shot. Even Dorcas hugged Ralph and gave him a peck on his forehead.   
“I am so glad Rose learned how to shoot so well,” said Dado with a catch to his voice. He grasped Ralph’s hands. “I did not want to nearly lose another friend.”  
“It’s unfortunately a risk that comes with the job, Dado,” said Ralph as he patted him on the back. “And we’ve had some really close calls.” Ralph shivered, no doubt thinking about how close the snake had been to him. “But we’ve been really lucky, and blessed.”   
Dado smiled. “That we have.”   
“Goodness gracious, what are they doing?” asked Dorcas. The others looked at what she was looking at. The warriors were crowding around the rhinoceros.   
“I think they’re attempting to skin the rhino so we can feast on that tonight,” said Stanley. Helen let out a scream. He was approaching them with the head of the mamba.   
“Be careful with that, Stanley,” warned Malcolm, “there’s still venom in its mouth.”   
“I know. Is there any chance any of you have an extra handkerchief? I’m going to tie its mouth shut so it doesn’t hurt anyone, at least, not yet. His royal highness wants to keep it and use it as punishment on Kala should the need arise.”   
Malcolm raised an eyebrow. “I see. How interesting.”   
“Well, um, uh, I think I have an extra one,” said Rose. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. She handed it to Stanley, who quickly tied it around the snake’s mouth.   
“Thank you. Now it’s time to skin it. Would you like any part in particular to commemorate your first kill?” Stanley asked Rose.   
“I would recommend the skin. You could turn that into a purse or something,” said Ralph.   
Rose closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’d rather not, thank you.”   
Stanley patted her shoulder. “It’s alright, it’s customary to ask the hunter which parts they want first since they got the kill.”   
“And since you killed the snake that killed the rhino, you also have first picks on the rhino,” said Monako with a smile.   
Rose smiled nervously. “Oh, um, thanks, but you can make the first choice, Monako. I don’t really want anything.” She turned and smiled at Ralph. “I’m just glad Ralph’s alright.”   
“Are you sure? Not a tooth or the horn?” asked Monako.   
“Hey, how about the horn?” suggested Ralph. He turned to Rose. “You could turn it into an ornament of some kind.”   
Rose thought about it for a moment. “Well, I guess so. Maybe Helen could paint it for me.”   
Helen hugged her. “I’d be happy to.”   
Monako grinned. “Perfect!” He turned and shouted as he walked towards the warriors skinning the rhino, “The great hunter gets the horn!”   
Rose flailed her hands. “Oh no no no! I’m no great hunter! I was just trying to save Ralph!”   
Dado laughed. “That counts!” He kissed her cheek before walking off to help Stanely skin the snake.   
Ralph chuckled as he put his arm around Rose. “He’s got a point. Even saving someone would consider you a hunter.” He pecked her cheek. “And I think you’ve officially graduated from the Edwards Academy for Handling Guns!”   
Dorcas scoffed. “Well it looks like you’re doing just fine.”   
Ralph grinned. “How can I be anything but happy when I didn’t get bitten by a snake and Monako has returned to his rightful place as king of his people?” Dorcas grumbled.   
Malcolm laughed. “He has a point, as I am too.” He glanced at the group skinning the rhino. “Come on, let’s give them a hand.”   
Bret and Jimmy grinned. “Right!” They dashed towards the rhino and eagerly began helping.   
“I think I’d rather sit down for a moment, Dad,” said Ralph. “I’ve been standing all day and my legs hurt.”   
Malcolm nodded as he patted his son’s shoulder. “Understandable. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on the horses.”   
Ralph grinned. “Righto!”   
“I’d like to stay with him,” said Rose, grasping his hand.   
“I think I’ll finish those paintings for Monako, now that he’s king,” said Helen.   
“I’m definitely not going to skin any animal,” said Margy bluntly.   
Dorcas scoffed. “It’s most certainly not a very lady-like thing to do.”   
Malcolm rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Miss Pepper. I agree with Rose and Helen, though, Ralph should not stay by himself and I’m sure Monako would like his art finished to hang in his house.” He shot a glance at Margy before tipping his hat. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.” He walked towards the rhino to help in the work. Ralph and the women went to the horses. Helen got out her paints and set about finishing up the paintings for Monako while Rose and Ralph gathered the horses together and tethered them to a few of the trees. They checked to make sure there were no snakes in the tree or nearby, Ralph instructing Rose on the signs left by snakes. When they were positive there were none nearby, they tethered the horses before sitting down together, just holding hands. Dorcas also sat down, having pulled out her fan and was fanning herself. Margy tried to do the same, but found she didn’t like it and was eventually bringing water to the men and fanning them off as best as she could.   
It nearly took them all afternoon, but they finally had the rhino cut up into sections. The skin would dry out into leather, the meat had been separated into sections, and the horn was presented to Rose as a trophy for her first kill. Helen offered to paint it right then and there while the warriors marveled over her artwork for their king. Finally, they were moving towards the village with Kala sulking along between two guards. The warriors began chanting a victory song in celebration of their king’s triumphant return. As they neared the village, the villagers came out, bursting with curiosity. When they saw that Monako was returning to take his place as king, they too joined in the chant. The chant soon gave way to the joyous song of partying. While the meat was carried away to various fires to cook and Kala was herded off to prison, a few warriors ceremoniously carried Helen’s art into Monako’s hut and hung it up.   
“Ah, perfect!” cried out Umbelo. He turned to Helen. “Never has such a kingly present graced these halls!”   
Helen was flustered by the praise. “Oh, but there are others who are much better than I am!”   
“But those others paint for your people only, you have painted for us, and it will be treasured forever,” said Monako with a smile.   
“Well, I’m glad it pleases you, your majesty,” said Helen with a little curtsy.   
Monako gave her his arm. “Come! We feast tonight!” Dado offered his arm to Rose and Umbelo offered his arm to Margy. The girls graciously obliged. The group was given a grand tour of the village, led by Umbelo. Everyone welcomed their king with joyous cries and chants before continuing on to the preparation for the feast. They also saw that Kala was grumbling away in his prison, the guards saluting their king as he walked past.   
“What will happen to Kala now?” asked Helen as they made their way to the center of the festivities.   
“I will keep him locked away, for a time,” said Monako. “But I think eventually I will have to banish him from my village. His lying tongue is not welcome here.”   
“Stanley said something about keeping the venom from that snake to use on him?” said Rose. “Were you going to use it?”   
Monako shrugged. “Only if he does not comply or attempts to reenter the village. He has caused my people enough strife with his lies. I want no more of it.”   
“I can understand that, your majesty,” said Margy. “You hope for change, but you have a plan should the change not occur.”   
Monako gave a curt nod. “Precisely, I’m glad you understand.” A shout was heard from where the rhino meat was roasting over a roaring fire, followed by the people chanting the name of their king.   
“The feast is ready. They await their king to begin,” said Umbelo with a broad smile. He turned to Monako and bowed. “Your majesty?”   
Monako smiled. “Let us not keep them waiting.” Umbelo straightened up, saluted, grinned, and turned to lead the rest of the way to the festivities. A long table was set up near the fire. Monako was seated at the head of the table while his guests sat on either side. The rest of the villagers began filling up the rest of the seats while mounds of food were placed on the table. To go with the rhino were several varieties of native fruits and vegetables along with a type of bread made from the native sorghum plant.   
“Ubaba!” A toddler waddled up to Umbelo, reaching her arms out to him. Umbelo scooped her up and planted several kisses on her face. The child giggled. Ralph let out a soft gasp as a woman also walked up to Umbelo and the two shared a kiss.   
Umbelo turned to the group. “This is my wife Jabulile and our daughter, Nandi.” Monako seemed to stiffen at the woman’s name. The woman bowed her head as Umbelo introduced the group.  
“Pleased to meet you,” the group chorused.   
“And I wanted to thank you for breakfast,” spoke up Ralph. “I know you couldn’t give me much so you wouldn’t get caught, but it was good.”   
Jabulile smiled at him. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Nandi giggled and waved at Ralph. Ralph grinned and waved back.   
“Aww!” chorused the girls. Dorcas raised an eyebrow, somewhat impressed.   
Monako turned towards them. “Jabulile? Did, did you not have a sister named Fanoula?”   
Jabulile’s smile broadened into a grin. “Yes, your majesty, she has not wavered in her belief in your return to us.”   
Dorcas blinked. “Wait, if you all knew that Wola wasn’t the rightful king, why didn’t you stop him earlier? You could have avoided this whole mess.”   
Umbelo sighed as he sat down. “Because Kala was very convincing with his lies. Many of us believed him and did not trust our true king.” He bowed his head to Monako. “For which we are very sorry. But Monako has proven his wisdom. By staying away from us for seven years, he showed us that he was the rightful heir to the throne and that Wola and Kala were liars. Fanoula was one of the few, at first, who saw through Kala’s lies. Then, one by one, so did the rest of us. We regret not seeing it sooner and putting our king through a banishment he did not deserve.”   
“I forgive you all, but, where is Fanoula? Is she alright?”   
“I am alright, your majesty,” said a woman. She approached the table and bowed her head. Monako rose and spoke in his language. She replied. They didn’t know what had been said, but it must have been something good because Monako rushed towards her and kissed her. The two embraced. Rose glanced at Ralph, and he glanced at her. Their hands found each other and they squeezed.   
Once the food was eaten and the table was cleared, dances were underway, Fanoula in particular danced a very lovely dance for Monako. It simply wowed everyone. This was quickly followed by tales swapped around the fire. The villagers were enraptured with Stanley’s tales of the high seas, since many of them had never seen the sea before. Dado too was something of a celebrity for having seen it first hand the breathtaking wonder of waves crashing upon the beach.   
The party finally ended late in the night, but everyone went to bed with a smile on their faces and a song in their hearts. The Edwards party in particular were hoping to start searching for the diamonds the next morning.   
Everyone got up late in the morning, fully rested. The villagers were preparing for another party. But Malcolm and his party sought out Monako after breakfast.   
“Your majesty, may we have a word?” asked Malcolm.   
“Yes, please! I have something I must speak to you about as well.” Monako indicated for them to sit on the floor. The group sat down in a circle. “Though the people do accept me as the Zuni, I still must claim the Light of the Zuni.”   
“Of course!” said Malcolm. “But why did you need to talk to us about it? We already know that you have to claim it.”   
“That part isn’t the part I wanted to talk to you about.” He paused and let out a breath. “Apparently, in my absence, Wola and Kala began a new ritual for our religion.” He gulped. “A sacrifice, they . . . they fed people to a large snake in the valley.”   
The others gasped. “How horrid!” exclaimed Helen.   
Monako nodded. “Yes. I found out from Fanoula and Umbelo it was how they got rid of many of the people they knew were against them. Many are still afraid to speak about it even though they know I will not feed them to the snake.”   
“And you would like for us to take care of the snake for you?” asked Malcolm.   
Monako nodded. “If you don’t mind doing this for me. I do not think our arrows will be enough to kill it.”   
Malcolm bowed his head. “We will be happy to rid your village of this threat.”   
“Thank you, my friend. And as payment, the Valley of Diamonds is all yours to do with as you wish.”   
“That is very generous of you, your majesty,” said Malcolm. He held out his hand. “We are in agreement.”   
Monako gave him a firm handshake. “We are in agreement.”   
“Oh, and I have a favor to ask of Helen,” said Monako, turning to the eldest Blythe.   
“Yes, your majesty?”   
“Will you paint a couple more pictures for me and teach my people how to paint?”   
“Oh! I’m, I’m not exactly qualified to teach people . . .”   
“You have done a very good job,” said Monako, beaming. “I think you shall do well.”   
“Well, um, uh, thank you. I will do my best,” siad Helen, feeling quite flustered.   
Malcolm stood up. “Well then, we shall tend to the snake if you want to get the Light of the Zuni and the girls can teach painting.”   
Rose stood up. “I want to go too.”   
Malcolm smirked. “Of course you do. Well then, let’s go.”


	18. The Final Challenge

Rose walked with the men with a slight bounce to her step. She was going to be hunting again! But the horror of nearly losing Ralph was still fresh in her mind, and she didn’t want him out of her sight. At least, not for a while, not until she felt a little less uneasy. The notion of going hunting again still excited her, though, and she did hope that it would help ease her tension.   
They packed their guns and the ammo, each of them carrying two guns each and a couple bags of ammo. They got to the front of the village, and Monako was waiting for them.   
“I shall lead you to the snake, but then I must go to claim the Light of Zuni, and I must go alone.”   
Malcolm nodded. “I understand.” He glanced at his team. “Well, we’re ready to go. Lead on, your majesty.” Monako gave a quick bow of his head and led them away from the village.   
The group walked about thirty minutes through a dense jungle. Monako took them on a path that had been cleared once before, but the jungle was slowly taking it over again. Monako and Dado cleared off a few branches and vines, but for the most part, it was an easy walk. As they neared their destination, the group became more and more solemn. If they understood correctly, this snake had been plaguing the village for a while. Not only that, but if people were being fed to it, this snake had to be big, and a constrictor no less.   
“Constrictors don’t bite their prey to kill them like the black mambas do,” Ralph was explaining to Rose, “they squeeze them, cracking their bones, before swallowing them whole. Then their stomachs slowly digest them.”   
Rose shuddered. “How horrid!”   
Malcolm shot her a quick glance and nodded before stooping under a branch. “Yes, it’s pretty horrible, especially for a human. But constrictors were created to hunt larger animals, and that is how they go about doing it. It’s their nature, we can’t change that, they are predators, meant to hunt and eat meat. A snake that eats a human out of hunger is one thing, but for a snake to be fed it? That is an entirely different matter.”   
“But, it’s not really its fault,” Rose said slowly.   
Malcolm shook his head. “No, it's not, but it has gotten so used to it that, well, it would take a while to get it to start hunting on its own again.”   
“And I do not want this snake coming near my village and hunting my people because Wola and Kala used it to punish my people for standing up for my right to the throne,” said Monako with a stern face. “It is as much a victim of Wola’s and Kala’s evil as my people, but this is the only way to prevent any further problems.” The others nodded solemnly, and continued after him in silence.   
Monako raised his hand for a halt. The others came to a stop. He turned to face Malcolm. “This is where we must part ways, my friend. I wish you the best of luck in dealing with the snake.”   
Malcolm grasped his hand. “And the best of luck to you in retrieving the Light of the Zuni, though I think you’ll need less luck than we do.”   
Monako smiled slightly. “Perhaps. I will come and find you once I have gotten it.” He turned to Dado. “If I have not rejoined you by the time you have killed the snake, take them back to the village.” He leaned in and whispered some things to Dado.   
Dado nodded. “I understand.”   
“Thank you.” Monako turned and walked away.   
Dado waved his hand. “Come on, let’s go find that snake.”   
“I just hope it doesn’t find us first,” muttered Stanley, gripping his gun tighter.   
Bret gulped as he glanced around at the foliage. “I hope not either.”   
“Better have your guns out and ready, just in case,” said Malcolm as he checked his gun. “And be on high alert, this snake could be anywhere right now.”   
“No kidding,” said Stanley, eyeing the foliage as well.   
“It all depends on if it has eaten recently,” said Dado, poking around the grass with a stick. “If it has eaten recently, it will be slow and resting, easier to take care of. But if it has not . . . it could be on the hunt and it will be harder to kill as it will want to eat.” He pushed another section of grass to the side. “And if it’s on the hunt, it will be hiding.”   
“Everyone, I think it’s best to keep your voices down,” said Malcolm, his own voice lowering with every word.   
“Hey, look up there,” said Jimmy. He pointed his gun at a ledge just overlooking their position. “I think I see a cave. Looks like the perfect place for a snake.”   
Malcolm looked. There was an opening, just barely noticeable in the rock formation. “I think that is the best place. But like Dado said, if it’s hungry, it will be on the move. We can head that way, but keep a sharp eye out for it along the way.”   
The others nodded. “Right,” whispered Bret, seemingly answering for all of them. The group continued towards the cave, a bit slower than before, eyes peeled for any kind of movement in the foliage or the grass.   
Dado came to a stop and sucked in his breath. “It is at the cave!” he whispered.   
“What?” said Jimmy. “How can you tell?”   
Dado pointed at the ledge. “Watch.” They all watched the ledge intently. Scales shifted in the sunlight, scales on a thick body; far thicker than that of a black mamba. Rose let out a soft gasp. Ralph grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.   
“Of course, it’s sunning itself!” whispered Malcolm. “Almost as good as if it was full. It could be still waking up and therefore be a bit sluggish. But we should stay quiet, keep the element of surprise on our side. It will be sorely needed should it try to attack us.”   
“I think you, Dado, and I should scope out the situation first,” said Stanley. “Something’s . . . off.”   
Malcolm glanced at him. “How so?”   
“I don’t know how to explain it, just that something’s off.”   
“I think he’s right,” said Rose. “I’m getting the same feeling.”   
Malcolm nodded slowly. “You should trust your instinct when it comes to things like this. ANd both of you are getting this feeling? Doubly so.” He glanced at Stanley and Dado. “Let’s take a quick look.” He pointed at Jimmy, Bret, Ralph, and Rose. “Stay here, and stay sharp. There could be other snakes, or even other predators, hiding around. Whistle when you see anything.”   
“Yes sir,” they chorused.   
“Let’s go.” Malcolm, Stanley, and Dado left and stealthily walked up to the ledge. All three sucked in their breaths silently when they finally saw their adversary. It was a huge rock python, curled up and sunbathing lazily at the moment, but no doubt would attack them with speed and ferocity upon learning of their mission to end its life.   
“I have never seen a snake that large,” whispered Stanley.   
“You have not been in Africa long,” mutered Dado.   
“Sh, keep it down,” said Malcolm. “I think we should take our chances now.”   
“What about the kids?” asked Stanley.   
“If the snake gets away from us and gets off this ledge, they’ll be able to finish the job.”   
“Ah, I see what your plan is. Good plan,” said Stanley.   
Malcolm smirked. “Thanks.” The three raised their guns and took aim. The python began rolling around a rock as if to let the sun reach each of its scales so it could warm up. Its head came up slowly and flickered its tongue when the grass rustled softly below. Three shots rang out, and the snake’s head fell backwards. It went limp. Dado unsheathed a machete and promptly stepped forward and chopped off its head. He turned to Malcolm and Stanley and grinned. He crouched as a bullet ricocheted off the rock behind him. He glanced down, eyes widening.   
“M-mr. Edwards!”   
“Come on out Malcolm!”   
Malcolm’s eyes widened as he burst out of the brush to stand by Dado. He glanced down at the valley. Four men had captured the four teens. If looks could kill, Ralph’s eyes would have destroyed Simms with the way he was looking at him. Ned Blythe was looking up at Malcolm, a cruel smile playing on his face and a gun aimed at Ralph.   
“You really shouldn’t have left them alone down here,” taunted Ned, “you wouldn’t have found them in this predicament.”  
“Who are your friends, Ned?” asked Malcolm.   
“Why don’t you and your friend come down, and I’ll introduce you to the fellows?” Ned waved the gun. “Come on, they won’t bite . . . unless I tell them to. And hold your guns in plain view. I won’t miss at this range for sure.” Dado glanced at Malcolm. He nodded, his teeth clenched. They walked down to the valley, holding their guns in front of them. Ned waved at the ground in front of his feet. “Place them right there.” Ralph’s cries were muffled by the hand over his mouth, but he tried to plead with his father that they could still take these crooks. The odds were even now! But Malcolm and Dado placed the guns on the ground. “Good man. Now, show me where the diamonds are.”   
“I’m afraid you’ve got me at a disadvantage there. I didn’t bring the map with me. We were only going to take care of that snake today.” Malcolm pointed at the snake corpse. He turned back to Ned. “Monako was going to give us the Valley once we took care of it.”   
“Of course he was,” muttered Ned.   
“Now what?” asked Simms.   
“Oh shut up, Simms,” snapped Ned. “It’s easy. You four stay here and keep your guns aimed at these brats, especially that one.” He pointed at Ralph. “I’ll take these two back to the village where they can get the map. If I’m not back in an hour with the map, shoot them.”   
“Except the girl,” snarled Simms.   
Ned rolled his eyes. “Right, fine, except the girl. Have your way with her.” He held up his finger. “But only after the hour is up, understand?”   
Simms’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Perfectly.” Ralph snarled and struggled against his captor’s strong grasp, but the man only seemed to tighten his hold on the young man. But before Anyone could take a step, a gun shot rang out. It was promptly followed by a spear whizzing into a nearby tree, followed in turn by a lion’s roar coming from the cave.   
Ned pulled Malcolm against him and put the gun to his head. “Come out and drop your gun or I will kill him! I’ll have them kill them all!”   
Stanely stepped out, gun raised. “And risk losing the diamonds, Ned?” Ned let out a soft growl, Stanley was seeing through his bluff.   
Ned pointed the gun at Dado. “His life and the lives of the others don’t matter to me.”   
“So then care to explain why you’re the only one with a gun?” asked Stanley. Ned blinked and glanced back. Each one of his goons had a hand over their prisoner’s mouth and the other arm wrapped around their prisoner’s arms in a tight squeeze.   
Ned glanced back at Stanley and scoffed. “I can still shoot pretty quickly. Just ask Malcolm how his wife died. It's why he does everything I tell him.” Ralph blinked.   
“Stanley, please, just do as he says,” pleaded Malcolm.   
“Listen to your boss, Stanley, and everything will be alright.”   
“Yes Stanley, everything will be alright.” Stanley locked eyes with Dado. Dado shot him a grin, and moved quickly. He rammed into Ned and Malcolm and began grappling with Ned for the gun.   
“No! Dado!”   
“Then help him!” shouted Stanley. Everything seemed to just come to a grinding halt when a war cry resounded. Two Zunans burst out of the forest followed by a scraggly American. He had been screaming the war cry. They rammed into three of the men. Simms lost his hold on Rose. Stanley rushed forward and pulled her away from the ensuing chaos. “I left a gun in the brush up there. Hurry!” Rose took off for the brush while Stanley jumped into the fight, still holding his gun. Rose hoped it wouldn’t go off and hurt one of their friends.   
She rushed to the brush and felt around for the gun. Her hands grabbed the gun and ammo right as someone grabbed her arm. She turned, and shrieked. She promptly kicked Simms. He grunted but let go of her. She quickly got up and dashed further up the ledge, shuddering as she passed the snake remains. She passed the cave opening before pausing to load the gun.   
“Rose!” She turned at Ralph’s warning. Simms was walking towards her, a knife raised and an evil glint in his eyes.   
“I’m going to enjoy this, and making your boyfriend watch will just make it all the sweeter.”   
Rose pulled up the gun. “Not if I shoot you first.”   
Simms tilted his head. “But have you ever shot a man before?”   
“Come any closer, and you’ll find out,” snapped Rose. Simms took a step forward, and Rose cocked the gun.   
Simms paused and raised an eyebrow. “You seem pretty serious there. Why don’t we call a truce.”   
“Or you could just step off this ledge,” returned Rose.   
“A rather violent young lady, aren’t you?”   
“You would be too with creeps like you hanging around.”   
“Oh? Well you know what I think?” Rose just put her fingers on the trigger. “I think you’re going to miss.” Simms lunged. Rose fired. She didn’t quite miss, she got his shoulder. She got ready for another shot, but Sims didn’t take another step forward. A roar echoed in the cave and the next moment, a lion pounced on Simms. Simms screamed, so did Rose. But she turned so she didn’t have to watch the sailor’s final moments.   
“Rose! Rose!” Rose didn’t turn at Ralph’s warning, she already knew. She could feel the lion’s hot breath down her back.


	19. The Past Can Hurt

Rose’s eyes slowly peeled open. That hot breath was still going down her back, but it now sounded more like sniffing. She turned, the lion was pretty close and watching her. He then moved his paw. She glanced down and gasped. She recognized the cloth wrapped around his paw.   
“Oh, it’s you!” She quickly holstered her gun and hugged the lion. “Thank you so much!”   
“Rose!” Rose walked around the lion and ran into Ralph’s arms. Malcolm, Jimmy, Bret, and Dado had followed him up to the ledge, guns ready. “Oh Rose, are you alright?”   
“I’m fine!” She pulled back from the hug with a teary smile. “He just wanted to return the favor.” She pointed at the lion’s paw.   
Ralph’s mouth dropped. “Wait, what . . . how . . . how did he get here before us?”   
“Oh easy.” Everyone glanced at Dado. He grinned. “He wasn’t travelling with Miss Dorcas Pepper.” They burst out laughing.   
Malcolm wiped a few tears from his eyes. “Don’t ever say that in her presence, Dado.”   
“Wasn’t planning to,” said Dado, his grin getting wider. Bret and Jimmy chortled.   
“But seriously, how did he get here before us?” asked Ralph as he glanced warily at the lion. “He wasn’t exactly able to leave his other cave.”   
Dado sighed. “Monako did not want me to tell you, but, he followed us for a while, actually, and Monako would feed him.”   
“Oh,” said Malcolm, blinking. “Well that explains a few things.” The group glanced down when they heard a loud whoop.   
“It’s Jack, Malcolm. This is Jack!” shouted Stanley. The frazzled American grinned at them and waved his hand.   
“A pleasure to finally meet you!” shouted Malcolm.  
“And you too, sir! Though I wish it wasn’t like this!”   
“Ned Blythe had him . . .”   
“Hold on, hold on!” said Malcolm with a chuckle. “We’ll come down to you!” Dado quickly picked up the snake head while the lion took to munching away at the carcass. The group went down the ledge quickly. Rose finally noticed that the other three men were bound together by a long string.   
She glanced around. “Wait, where’s Ned?”   
Ralph sighed. “He managed to get away.” He held up his gun. “But he didn’t get away with my gun, which is probably why he won’t be back. I don’t know why he didn’t have his own.”   
“At least not right now,” said Malcolm. “We might see him another time. But right now, I think we can consider ourselves safe for a time.”   
“Speaking of Blythe,” said Stanley, “I was starting to tell you that Blythe was the guy who left Jack stranded out here. He thought Jack was lying about not knowing where the diamonds were and then was planning on using him as leeway to get Tom Ferris to tell him. And, well, we all know how that turned out.”   
Ralph blinked. “Wait, how do you know Tom Ferris?”   
Jack grinned. “You mean you can’t tell?”   
Stanley scoffed. “Uh, no, your hair’s a mess.”   
Jack groaned and rolled his eyes. “Ugh, fine. Tom Ferris is my cousin. But since we are each an only child, we consider each other brother.”   
“Oh, yeah, and Tom Ferris is a lion in comparison to you, you’re just a leopard.”   
“Oh gee thanks, Stan, appreciate the support.”   
Ralph looked closer at Jack before his eyes widened. “Oh! I think I see it now! You’re like a skinnier, shorter, messier Tom Ferris. And with brown hair instead of that mane of his.”   
“You’re not exactly helping me out there, kid,” muttered Jack as Stanley burst out laughing.   
“But how did you and Stanley meet?” asked Bret.   
“Come on, let’s get moving. They can tell us on the way back,” said Malcolm. The group got moving and Stanley and Jack took turns telling their story.   
Tom and Jack had decided that they were going to go to the same college. They kept at it for a year before Jack gave up on it. Tom understood his decision but wanted to keep at it, and so the two separated. After trying his hand at blacksmithing for a little while, Jack took up sailing. He and Stanley signed on the same boat as common sailors. It took them a little while to warm up to each other, but before they knew it, they had become fast friends.   
After sailing the high seas for a few years, Jack came home one summer to find his cousin was missing. He and Stanley investigated and found that Tom had gone to Africa, but no one had heard from him since. The two went straight away to Africa to pick up the trail there and found Tom fairly quickly. He told them about the Valley of Diamonds and that he would send for them once he had found Monako and sorted things out. He also warned them about Ned Blythe and the fact that he and Jack were cousins should be kept a secret.  
Stanley took the first boat out of the port while Jack stayed behind, wanting to see more of Africa. He went on a sightseeing expedition through the mainland, not knowing that one of his travelling companions was working for Ned Blythe. Jack didn’t let it slip that he even knew Tom Ferris, but somehow Ned found out, and they kidnapped him. They brought him to a secluded hut hidden in the tall grass and kept him there. Though it was more of a lack of knowledge of the area that kept Jack there than anything else. He knew Tom was coming back to the village and decided to bide his time. He did save Toto and Lomo, his two companions, from the snake. They had been finally found out as two supporters of Monako and were to be executed by way of the snake. For some reason, this was the one time Wola and Kala did not stay around to watch the execution, allowing Jack the ability to save them. They at least knew enough English that they could communicate and plans for an escape was underway.  
“But I guess I don’t have to do that now,” said Jack with a grin. “I was hesitating in case it was Tom who came looking for me. But I guess he was smart enough to know not to come or give more information to Ned. How is he, the old blight?” Malcolm and Stanley shared a glance. “Uh, Stan, what happened to Tom?”   
Malcolm then glanced at Ned’s goonies. “It’s, um, complicated, and I think it would be best to tell you later.”   
“Why?” The group came to a halt.  
Malcolm thanked the Lord under his breath, he didn’t have to answer as they had come across Monako. He was grinning as the golden necklace of the Zuni glittered around his shoulders. The Zunans genuflected immediately and greeted their king in their native tongue. Everyone else’s mouths dropped. The necklace was certainly unique. A large diamond was set in the center of the golden chain, surrounded by smaller diamonds.   
“Why, it’s lovely!” exclaimed Rose.   
Monako’s smiled seemed to widen all the way into his eyes. “Thank you, Rose.” He then blinked in confusion as he glanced over the newest editions to the party. “But, what happened here? I see the snake head, and six more people.”   
The group continued on their journey back to the village as the whole story was revealed to Monako. He only interrupted the tale once to tell Rose, “I’m glad he remembered you,” before listening to the rest of it. He thanked Jack for taking the opportunity to save Toto and Lomo.   
Upon arriving in the village, the king and the miraculous return of two of his supporters were met with a glorious cheer. Another grand feast was soon being prepared. The snake’s head was promptly set on a display just outside Monako’s tent. The story of how the snake was killed was retold again and again. Rose was revered with awe upon learning of her friendship with the lion. Her sisters and Dorcas fussed and doted on her the rest of the evening.   
Later that evening, a group of men left the village by torchlight. They each had a shovel. Dado led the team back to the ledge where they found and buried Simms by firelight. Jack then led them to his hut where they built a fire and planned to spend the night. The others told him in low voices about what was going on with Tom and why they didn’t want to speak of anything. Tom relaxed knowing his cousin was alive and eager to head out to see the newest members of the family.   
As the others began turning in for the night, Malcolm laid a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Will you go get some more firewood please?”   
Ralph blinked. “Uh, sure.”   
“And, I want you to take this watch with me as well.” Malcolm let out a breath. “I think it’s high time I told you.”   
Ralph’s heart began to beat faster as a lump began to form in his throat. “O-oh sure Dad. Be right back.” Malcolm nodded and let go. Ralph dashed off into the jungle night, finding a few branches to keep the fire lit. He was beginning to see what his father wanted. He hoped that by the time Ralph got back with the firewood, everyone else would be sound asleep. Ralph hoped so too. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.   
Ralph brought back a slim gathering of twigs, and as he had hoped, everyone was sound asleep except for him and his father. Ralph placed the twigs on the ground before glancing expectantly at his father.   
Malcolm stared into the flames for a couple of minutes before turning to his son. “Do you, do you remember where your mother and I were going that time?”   
“Oh yes!” said Ralph. He began to smile as his grey eyes sparkled with sweet fondness. “You and Mom were going to an excavation site in Egypt. They had been finding quite a few artifacts and one had what they thought was a treasure map! Well, though they, and you and Mom, didn’t think it led to gold or jewels or any kind of treasure like that, just to a wealth of knowledge.”   
“Except it did lead to a treasure of gold and jewels too,” said Malcolm with a sigh.   
Ralph blinked. “Oh, it did?”   
Malcolm nodded. “Yes, and Ned wanted it.” Ralph scooted closer to his father so he wouldn’t miss a word, his body becoming tense. “But, apparently that wasn’t the only thing Ned wanted,” said Malcolm in a whisper.   
Ralph paled. “You mean, you mean he was set upon killing Mom?”   
“Both of us preferably, but he was aiming to stop us somehow, someway, and make sure we never went back to our adventuring ways ever again.” Malcolm paused a moment before letting out a deep, heavy sigh. “That day, the day it happened . . . your mother and I were exploring some tunnels under a house, seeing where they went. We were excited, of course. These weren’t under the pyramids, but your mother wondered if there was a chance they might lead to them. There were a few traps, nothing we hadn’t seen before.” Malcolm paused. “But there was one trap, the one Ned laid out for us, and we stepped right into it without knowing it.” Another pause. “We entered the treasure room and surveyed its contents. We had been ordered to only get the scrolls and a few pieces of the gold and jewels for ourselves as payment. Ned had somehow gotten in before us and was hiding behind a pile of treasure. We had only begun filling our pockets when he stood up, his gun aimed at us. We tried to talk to him, to reason with him. We offered him our payment, even offered to let him take the scrolls out, but he was having none of it. He wanted us to never go adventuring again and would make sure of it. There was only one who could be the best, and in his twisted mind, only he could have that spot.” Another pause, a longer one this time.   
“D-Dad?” whispered Ralph.   
Malcolm turned to him with sad eyes. “He fired his gun twice. First bullet hit my shoulder. The second . . . hit your mother right in her chest.” Ralph let out a shuddering gasp and his hands curled into fists. “I, I don’t know how I did it . . . I managed to get myself up and went to her. She was still alive, so I picked her up and began carrying her out. She seemed to know she wasn’t going to make it and asked me to give you her love. I kept telling her she would make it, but I think, deep down, I knew it too. I got her out of the tunnels and cried for help before passing out. I kept coming in and out of consciousness over the next few weeks after that. Eventually they told me she had died. There was something else . . . they found out she had been pregnant. They couldn’t save either one.” Malcolm glanced at Ralph, his eyes widening with shock. “You, you were going to be a big brother.” Malcolm swallowed. “But obviously it didn’t happen. We lost both of them. And, and you almost lost me too. I had been growing more and more delirious in the weeks that followed. I was running a fever, and there was a chance that they would have to cut off my arm to save me. And then, somehow, I could hear your little voice in my head, crying out for me. I knew I could get through this, I had to, for you. You saved me, Ralph, I’m still here because of you. All this adventuring business, I only went back to it because it was all I could do to put food on the table for you. Otherwise, I would have avoided it like the plague. Because my greatest fear, it nearly came true today. If it hadn’t been for the foolishness or bravery, whatever you want to call it, of both Dado and Stanley, it would have come true. And you might have gone through something far worse than I did, having to watch Simms have his way with Rose.”   
Tears were streaming down Ralph’s face and his voice cracked when he spoke, “Oh Dad.”   
Malcolm pulled him into a tight squeeze. “I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you, not only what really happened to your mother, but how you missed out on becoming a big brother. I just wanted to put it off for so long, thinking that distancing myself might make it more bearable. But it hasn’t, it definitely hasn’t. And the thought of nearly losing you, that I almost did lose you and almost put you through something worse, I just . . . I just . . .” Malcolm bent his head over his son’s head and began to sob softly. “I can’t lose you too.”   
“I don’t want to lose you either, Dad,” Ralph said. The two just sat there sobbing for a while, letting all the grief and pain out. But not all the tears were from sorrow, some of it was a flood of relief that the worst hadn’t happened and that their prize was only a few feet away. But for now, they just wanted to grieve. In the morning, they would dig.


	20. Diamonds on a Roll

The girls and Monako joined them bright and early the next morning. They brought breakfast with them and the group ate around the fire. They noticed the red eyes of Ralph and Malcolm and the solemn air with which they ate. At first they ate in silence, but then eventually, as with the morning sun rose higher in the sky, their spirits began to lift and they began to chat away about what they were going to do with the diamonds. Jimmy was the first, however, to really break the tension by loudly announcing that he would use his diamonds to create his own little treasure hunt.   
“But if you use all your diamonds to create this treasure hunt, what are you going to use as the treasure?” asked Margy.   
Jimmy’s mouth dropped. “Oh, right, I guess I would have to go find more treasure.” That got the others rolling. Then idea after crazy idea was thrown out of how to go about creating the treasure hunt. Ralph threw in tidbits of what would or wouldn’t work from being a fairly experienced treasure hunter.   
Malcolm stood up, chuckling. “Alright, alright, what’s the use of planning if you don’t even have the diamonds in your hands? Come on, daylight’s a-wasting! Let’s go get ourselves some diamonds!” The others cheered and quickly cleared up the camp before following Malcolm to the Valley of Diamonds.   
With the map and Monako’s knowledge of the area, they came across a valley, presumably the valley.   
“So, um, how do we want to do this?” asked Stanley.   
“Well, to make sure this is the actual Valley of Diamonds, I suggest we start digging and see if we do find any diamonds,” said Malcolm.   
“Oh good heavens,” said Dorcas. She went and found herself a spot to sit down and began fanning herself while the others got to digging. Bret let out a whoop when he found the first one. The others crowded around him to take a closer look.   
“This is it! This is definitely the Valley of Diamonds!”   
Malcolm held up his hand. “Alright, hold up! Now that we have established that this is the Valley, we should rope off sections and each person can lay claim to one. And since Bret found the first one, I elect that he gets first pick.”   
“Here here!” said Stanley before they began separating the field into sections. Once each person had laid their claim, they went back to digging.   
They stayed at the village for about a week, gathering up as many diamonds as they could. While they dug, Monako and Dado noticed that the soil seemed pretty fertile. Once they figured they had enough diamonds, the group helped Monako and Dado plant some seeds. During that time, the girls also became fast friends with Fanoula while they all learned some of the ways of the village. Helen also continued to teach art.   
After another week of planning and preparing, the group were on their way, this time escorted by some of Monako’s warriors so that Ned’s men wouldn’t give them any problems. When they arrived in Natal, the warriors made sure the men were handed over to the proper authority and that the group got to Tom Ferris’s house safely before heading back home.   
The reunion between Tom and Jack was exuberant. The group told their story multiple times, Malcolm constantly emphasizing that Ned Blythe managed to get away yet again.   
Tom chuckled as he patted Malcolm’s back. “Thank you for the reminder, but I think Stanley and Dado here are proving that maybe Ned Blythe isn’t as scary as he used to be. You’ve managed to capture three of his gang. His adventuring empire is falling.”   
“Which will make him more dangerous. He’s going to do anything to make sure his empire won’t collapse completely.”   
“But I’m not the one that’s causing it to collapse around him,” warned Tom in a low voice. “I’m also not building one that could rival or even replace his either. With these diamonds, my family and I will live the rest of our lives very comfortably. There’s nothing more we could want. You, on the other hand, are more of an adventurer by trade, he sees you as the bigger threat. But, should the need arise and you find yourself in a pinch, you call on me, I’ll do what I can to help you out.”   
Malcolm smiled. “Thank you Tom, I really appreciate it.”   
Tome smiled. “Anytime.”   
After a week of just relaxing at Ferris's mansion, the group finally left Natal for New York City. Jack Layton decided to go with them, and this time, Stanley wasn’t working on the boat. He got to go across as a passenger and bunked with Jack. They were still as careful as when they came on the Wanderer because of the precious cargo they carried, but this trip seemed much more relaxing. The sailors were far more jovial and seemed much more trustworthy. Still, the group didn’t feel too easy until they had landed in New York, and even then they didn’t feel particularly easy, knowing that Rex Pepper still roamed the streets, and there was the slightest possibility that Ned Blythe had gotten to New York before them. Unfortunately, they arrived late Saturday afternoon, meaning all the banks were closed for the weekend. They decided on going to a nearby restaurant to celebrate their safe return. They split up afterwards, planning to meet at the bank first thing Monday morning.   
The Blythe sisters were never so happy to see their modest little apartment finally. They made sure no one had followed them and that no one was hiding in the apartment before depositing their luggage in their rooms.   
Rose let out a sigh and fell on her bed. “Home at last!”   
Margy scoffed. “You were the one who wanted to go in the first place.”   
Rose grinned. “Yeah, but it still feels good to be home.”   
“It definitely does,” said Helen, “though it feels weird to be calling this home when we haven’t lived here for that long.”   
“Well, it’s home right now, until we get that new apartment.”   
“Speaking of,” said Margy, “I was thinking that we could stay here and that we should use the diamonds sparingly.”   
“Well of course we should use the diamonds sparingly,” said Helen, “We only have so many of them. And we don’t know when Mr. Edwards is going back out for another adventure.”   
“But why stay here?” asked Rose. “We could still get a better apartment without needing to get all extravagant.”   
“Though, I’m not sure I want to move any time soon,” said Helen.   
“There’s that too.”   
“Well I can agree with that, but, if that’s the only reason for staying here a little longer than we had planned after getting the diamonds, then why bring it up?”   
Margy puffed up her cheeks before letting out the air. “Well, if we stayed here for a while, we could save up for other things. Besides, we haven’t even looked into how much Helen’s art classes will cost.”   
Rose sat up and folded her hands in her lap. “Oh, right, there is that.” She huffed. “Guess I will definitely have to get a job, huh?”   
“But, where will you work? I just barely got in with Miss Pepper!”   
Rose shrugged. “Oh, I’m sure a lot of the retail stores are going to need help here soon. The holidays are just around the corner, after all.”   
Helen gasped and placed her hands on her face. “Oh my, you’re right! I can’t believe how much time has passed!”   
“Well, it has been a little over three months since we left New York,” pointed out Margy. She glanced out the window. “But yes, amazing how much time has passed.”   
“And now I almost wish it wasn’t over.”   
“Rose!”   
“What? Just almost.” She scoffed. “We could do well without that Ned Blythe and his goons.”   
“And Rex Pepper and his goons,” said Margy.   
“But you do realize that without them, we wouldn’t have met Ralph and Mr. Edwards.”   
Rose gasped. “You’re right! So, I guess we needed them after all!”   
“I just hope we never see them again.”   
“Well I work for Rex’s aunt, so that’s not very likely.”   
Rose fell back on the bed with a groan. “Ugh, right. I almost wish he would slip up and do something extremely dreadful so we can send him to jail and not hear from him again.”   
“That would be wonderful,” said Margy.   
Helen stood up and yawned. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I’m going to bed. Good night!”   
“Good night!” chorused her sisters. Within a matter of minutes, all three were sleeping peacefully, quite glad to be back in their own beds.   
As planned, Monday morning dawned with the whole group waiting for the bank to open up. The teller’s eyes just about bulged upon seeing the amount of diamonds he had to deposit. Malcolm went first so they could see what to do and how to do it. After him went Ralph. The teen held back one diamond, it was one of the colored ones, in a lovely shade of pink.   
“Ralph, go ahead and put that one in too,” instructed Malcolm.   
“But I wanted to make a ring with this one.”   
Malcolm placed his hands on the chair and leaned in. “Ralph, you’re not even eighteen yet. It can wait.”   
“But can’t I just have it made and ready to go?”   
“Ralph.”   
Ralph pouted. “Fine, fine, I’ll deposit that one too.” The teller finished the transaction, and Ralph moved so the next person could have their turn. He glanced at Rose and heaved a sigh. She gave him a little kiss on the cheek. He smiled before placing his arm around her shoulders.   
Each person had their turn at depositing their diamonds. A few decided to sell some so they could have the money, but the rest was placed in a safe. Malcolm stayed nearby and helped with any questions they might have had, but after almost two hours, everyone had deposited the diamonds.   
When they walked outside, Rose took in a deep breath. The air was full of the nippy chills of autumn and toasting nuts.   
“Well, what do you say we all have a little break after that grand of a first adventure for most of you?” said Malcolm.   
“Oh yes please,” said Margy.   
“That would be wonderful,” said Helen.   
“When will we get to go on another adventure?” asked Rose.   
“I’m curious about that too,” said Jimmy.   
Malcolm chuckled. “I’ll let you know when another opportunity shows up.” He glanced at Dorcas. “And I will give you ample time to prepare.”   
Dorcas sniffed. “You’d better, or next time it will be a definite no.”   
Malcolm chuckled. “Fair enough.”   
“But what will we do until then?” asked Bret. “It’s kind of weird not having much to do.”   
Malcolm pointed at Jimmy and Bret. “Well you will just have to wait as you are now officially under my employ. Margy is still working for Miss Pepper.” Dorcas nodded. “And I’m going to assume that some of that money you took out is going to art classes for Helen.”   
The Blythes bobbed their heads. “Yes sir, it is!” exclaimed Rose.   
“Fabulous!”   
“But what are you going to do, Rose?” asked Ralph.   
Rose smiled mischievously. “I think I’m off to find an adventure of my own. I’m going to look for a job!”   
“What? The only places that are hiring right now are the retail stores, and that’s worse during the holiday season than a field of snakes,” said Ralph with a slight grimace.   
Rose placed her hands on her hips. “It will be something to do, and it will be interesting! If I don’t like it, I can always leave.”   
“Once the position is over, I hope,” said Malcolm. “Quitting doesn’t look good on your resume, and getting fired even less so.”   
“Then I shall make the most of it until then. But my mind is made up.”   
“Then I guess that will be my new job, making sure you don’t get squashed by the shopping crowds,” said Ralph with a grin.   
Rose huffed. “I can take care of myself, thank you.” She then got close. “But an escort to and from work would be lovely.”   
Ralph bowed. “Then consider me your man.”   
“Hey, that’s an idea! Why don’t you fellows drive the girls around and get them to and from work?” said Jack.   
Bret beamed. “I like that!” He turned to Helen. “That is, if you don’t mind.”   
Helen blushed slightly. “Not at all.”   
Jimmy glanced between Jack and Stanley before turning to Margy. “I guess I’ll be driving you around.”   
“Well, alright then,” said Margy. She was beginning to think that Stanley was preferable, but if neither he nor Jack offered, then she figured she would have to go with Jimmy after all.   
“Then that’s settled,” said Malcolm. “Now, how about we set about finding out about these art classes and getting Rose a job?”   
“Yes!” chorused several voices. They began walking down the street, gaily bouncing ideas off each other. In that moment, everything was peaceful, but deep down, each one of them, even Miss Dorcas Pepper, were eager for another adventure. But that’s another story for another time.


End file.
